


Life

by SherlocksVirus



Category: Steven Universe - Fandom
Genre: Blood, Death, F/F, F/M, Gen, Gore, M/M, Medieval AU, Multi, Other, READ THE NOTES ON THE FIRST CHAPTER! READ THE NOTES ON THE FIRST CHAPTER! MENTIONS GORE IN STORY, lapidot - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2020-03-19 12:59:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 34,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18969829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlocksVirus/pseuds/SherlocksVirus
Summary: War was coming. A war that couldn't be avoided. Peridot Vita, the sorceress from the Yellow region, has been assigned to track down the mage that helped the Diamonds into power, in hopes of ending the persistent rebellion. Lapis Lazuli, the princess from the Blue region, is tired of her training as the heir of Azula Diamond and seeks for adventure. The two run into problems from the Pink region, the region that is rebelling against the Diamond's reign that will soon cause the war to break out. Uncoincidentally, the two will help each other to their goals and discover the secrets of their home and history.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy doody folks! Good? Good. Let me make one thing very clear: There will be death, gore, and all that nasty stuff, so please, please, PLEASE get off this fic if it makes you very uncomfortable. Other than that, please enjoy!

People once lived peacefully and happy, only having to worry about their families and their business. That time of tranquility ended when the conquest of the Diamonds began. Now, they worry about offending the Diamonds, for it could be the final mistake for them and their families. They worry, day by day, if they'll be ransacked by the knights and be left to die. 

Some have rebelled, but they were all extinguished rather quickly. A massacre would always occur if a handful of people rebelled. Everyone lost the will to fight when the long-standing Crystal Gems were wiped out by the White Region's Diamond's mage. There was nothing left in the mage's footprints except for destruction and death. 

Base after base, the mage tore them all down, killing everyone in his sights. When only one base remained, the mage was stopped by a barrier. The Diamonds sent their armies to his aid, but the rebels fought back, hard and proud, defending their home with all they had. The mage then called for a retreat, making sure the soldiers left. When certain that the soldiers were gone, the mage combined all the elements within him before letting it all out at the base, killing the last of the rebels, the animals, the plants, and the Earth that once resided here.

Now, no one rebels, fearing their deaths would arrive early. They silently obey what the Diamonds ask them to do, fearing for tiny flaws and mistakes in their works. The Diamonds themselves barely address the people anymore, only making announcements once a month. As for the mage... he disappeared after destroying the last of the rebels. The Diamonds built a statue for him, honoring him as a hero, but the people hated him. Someone would always ruin his statue, throwing eggs at it. The Diamonds gave up cleaning it since the statue was frequently ruined. 

Many people say the mage is still out there, but most believe that he destroyed himself when he destroyed the last rebel base.


	2. Peridot Vita

2000 years later...

The sun shined majestically over the castle, warming the people that worked in the fields from the cool breeze that tickled their necks. Within the castle, a stout woman was currently writing in her journal, speaking aloud as she did so. This was Aurelia Diamond's sorceress, Peridot.

"Patient name: Leggy. Cause of injury: tripping down the stairs. Easily fixed with a lesser healing potion. Patient name: Navy. Cause of injury: Leggy fell on top of Navy as she tripped causing Navy to hit her head. Fixed with a small restoration spell, but it is recommended that she RESTS for the rest of today." 

Peridot then put away her quill and journal into a dark green satchel that was hanging right next to the door. She then walked to the two squires, and looked Navy in the eyes. "Report to your captain immediately and tell them that you are to rest for the remainder of the day. Should I find you moving about, I will instruct your captain to double your routine," she said coldly before slapping Leggy's hand that was hovering towards a giant's heart. 

Peridot went to walk back to her desk before she saw her mirror. She then began to examine herself, observing her green and black robes that were a bit loose on her, a yellow diamond on her chest. The first thing she noticed, when she looked at her face, were the wild, blond locks that rested upon her head. Her attentive icy blue eyes were next before they turned to the rest of her face, spotting the dark freckles on her nose that faded to her cheeks. Then there were her goggles that hung loosely from her neck. She gently picked them up with her gloved hands, admiring the green tint she had put in them before eying her black gloves. A shiver ran through her as she placed her hands down to her sides and turned to walk to her desk, black boots clicking as she went.

She sat down, enjoying the silence as she pulled out a book and opened it, not hearing the creak in her floorboards. "Have a nice time in the mirror, runt?" a gruff voice suddenly said, making Peridot jump and push her book off the desk. She grumbled as she picked up the book off of the ground. She looked up and saw the owner of voice wearing her armor, Jasper Iratus. Captain of Aurelia's army. "I was just making sure I looked appropriate for the meeting," she said as she stood up when she heard the bell chime three times. 

"I don't know why you suggest doing that," Jasper said, crossing her arms, her armor squealing as she did so. "You dress like that every time when Aurelia calls a meeting. Peridot merely let out a scoff as she put the book away. "So, is there a reason as to why you're here other than to comment on my clothes?" Peridot asked as she walked to her door, grabbing her dark green satchel on the way out. 

"Aurelia wants us to arrive in pairs to the meeting," Jasper said while Peridot looked confused. "Which region is coming in today?" Peridot asked, walking out of her quarters. She twitched her hand and the door closed, pushing Jasper into the hallway and locking itself. "The blue region," Jasper mumbled as she jogged after Peridot, her armor making loud CLANKS!

Peridot only hummed as her journal flew into her hands, the pages flipping in the air. The date of this entry was two months prior of today. "The last time they were here they came to discuss the sightings of an old rebellion flag that was put up on display of the pink region," she said aloud. "So?" Jasper said nonchalantly. Peridot looked up at the ceiling, inhaled deeply before saying, "That means that today's meeting will most likely be about the patrols along the pink region to see if any of the patrols reported anything suspicious."

Jasper was about to say something when they entered the room where they saw a group of people talking, but there was tension in the room. Peridot and Jasper separated, the Captain going to speak to her soldiers while Peridot walked to where Aurelia was sitting on her yellow throne, watching the crowd like a hawk. To the left of her were three other thrones, a white throne, a pink throne, and a blue throne.

Peridot crossed her arms, making a diamond in the middle, bowing as she did so, saying, "My Diamond." When Aurelia nodded, Peridot took her place to the right of her, standing with her hands behind her back, chest puffed out. "Report," Aurelia said, her voice emotionless and strict. "Just two squires injuring themselves," Peridot said as her journal flew out of her satchel to show her report. Aurelia simply pushed it away to signify that she had read it. The journal flew back into Peridot's satchel just as the blue region walked in, eight guards surrounding Azula Diamond. The room went quiet as the blue region filled the other side of the room. 

Azula took her place to the left of Aurelia as the room stilled. "Will Bianca be joining us?" Azula asked, her voice a practical whisper. "She never arrives for meetings and Rose is busy dealing with problems that her court is giving her, so we may as well begin," Aurelia directed, standing up. "Very well," Azula said, standing up as well.

"As you all may know, a rebellion is beginning to sprout once more after 200 years. Rose, of the pink region, isn't here because of that rebellion. As the Diamonds, we will... hither as one once more so we can deal with this rebellion quickly," Aurelia addressed, getting everyone to murmur. "Soldiers from each region will be sent to other regions so that we can help spot any spies within our ranks," Azula finished, getting a few bewildered looks from some of the soldiers. "That will be all," Aurelia ordered, watching as the soldiers went through the doors single file. Peridot still remained at Aurelia's side, waiting to be dismissed. 

"Peridot, I- no, we have a mission for you," Aurelia said, sounding a little tired, but still strict and cold. 

"The mage that served the original White Diamond still lives and resides past the authority of the Diamonds," Azula said, making Peridot look at her as if she were mad. "That... is impossible. The last rebellion occurred 2000 years ago. By all accounts, the mage should be dead, Peridot said, listing the facts. "Are you questioning my sources?" Aurelia asked with a sharp edge in her voice, standing up so she could tower over Peridot. Peridot shut her mouth, her arms trembling slightly. "...Of course not, my Diamond," she said tersely. Aurelia looked at her as if she were looking for defiance in the sorceress. She sat back down and, with crossed legs, waved Peridot away. "The details will be in your quarters and you will leave in two days. That will be all." 

Peridot stood there, her hands twitching before she did the diamond salute, bowing as she did so. She then stood back up and walked out of the room. She barely registered the tense conversation behind her as she closed the door. 

...

When Peridot reached her quarters, there was a very rich, yellow notebook on her desk. She sat down, pushed to the corner of her desk and repeatedly slammed her head into her desk. THUD! THUD! THUD! 

She did this for a couple of minutes before she stopped, her head lying on her desk. "How did I get assigned to this... impossible mission?" she asked herself, dragging her hands across her face. She eyed the book that sat in the corner of her desk. She looked up at the ceiling before grabbing the book and opening it. The first thing she saw was "Last seen in Pink region on tall mountain."

The handwriting was crude and simple. Peridot nearly ripped it in half, growling in rage as she tightly gripped the book. She flipped the page and saw a map that had every landmark in the Pink region. She also saw that an area was circled, labeled, "Last sighting of the mage was here. Highly recommended to avoid for right now and get a more experienced soldier up here."

She sat there, examining the map before grabbing a piece of paper and redrawing the map. When the map was redrawn to her liking, Peridot neatly folded it and placed it in her satchel. She then flipped through the book, reading the report for anymore information about the mage. 

The amount of information about the mage was not to level she would have liked, but it was enough information for her to leave. Peridot placed the book away and got up and saw how dark it was outside her window. She leaned against the window and looked at the moon, her head slightly out of the window so that she could feel the gentle cool breeze the night offered.

...

"Must you talk to all of your subjects like that?" Azula said shakily as she watched the sorceress walk out. "My subjects should know better than to question my choices. Especially when another Diamond is present," Aurelia said coldly as she faced Azula, disinterest in her eyes. "Especially my second in command after her punishment."

Azula allowed a shiver go through her spine as she remembered the sorceress's punishment. "Still... it should be fine to ask a question to your superior," Azula added, making Aurelia abruptly turn to her. "To question your superior means that they are weak and are no longer fit to lead. Their subjects will grow lazy and slow and will die should they be ambushed. My subjects are always on their toes, where they almost make no mistakes!" Aurelia sharply said. Azula looked at her, solemnly in the eyes, before she nodded twice. 

Aurelia began to walk out of the room as she added, "And the few that make mistakes are punished to the extent that they never make mistakes again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh, finally done! If it seems a bit rushed, do forgive me. As you can tell, this book will have no update schedules and will come randomly, some quick some long, so do expect a hiatuses here. Anyways, have a good day/week! Love y'all!


	3. Lapis Lazuli

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ok then, now this chapter is going to include some deaths. Just a little warning for those that get queasy around death.

The fires crackled as soldiers yelled, rounding up the villagers and kicking those that weren't going as fast as the others. Inside one of the buildings was a small family, a girl of the age of seven and two mothers, huddled behind barrels that contained fruit, vegetables, and water. They then felt the ground shake and heard loud cracking along with shouts and laughter. 

The door then slammed open and they heard soldiers walk in, their armor clanking with every step they took. Tears ran down the girl's face as she heard the steps get closer and closer. The barrels were then shoved away revealing a cruel face that smirked at them. He whistled out and said, "I found some treats boys!" 

Two other pairs of footsteps came and they stared at the family, perverted and ugly thoughts running through them. "Let's get them out of here and bring them," another soldier said before they grabbed them and hauled them outside. 

Once outside, the mothers pounced on the soldiers, screaming as they revealed the daggers they had hid. The two soldiers tried to fight back, but the mothers attacked with great speed as their daggers landed in the necks, sprouting blood. One of the mothers was suddenly thrown back by the third soldier, sword in his hand now. "No!" The other mother screamed as the soldier drove her sword into the mother he threw to the ground, killing her. 

The mother and her child screeched as the soldier turned to them, the blood on his blade glistening from the fires that surrounded them. The remaining mother threw himself at the soldier, but the soldier stepped to the side and flicked his sword upwards. The mother fell to the ground, blood seeping out of her throat. "Mommy! Mum!" The girl shouted as she ran forward to them. The soldier backhanded her, sending her to the ground as she clutched her bloody nose, crying at the pain and the death of her mothers. 

"Crazy bitches!" the soldier exclaimed as he turned to look at the girl. "Get over here! Now!" he said, walking towards her. She scrambled away from the soldier, fear etched into her face when the soldier stopped and jerked forward with a grunt. He then began clawing at his chest as he began coughing, blood spraying from his mouth. He then screamed as something red began to exit his mouth.

It was his heart, followed by more of his organs. The soldier at this point was grunting, his hands reaching for his organs before they dropped to his sides. The organs then fell, soon after followed by the soldier, dropping to his knees before flopping face-first into the ground with his rear sticking in the air. 

It was then the girl noticed the man in all white standing there, his left hand lowering to his side. His hood obscured his face from her view, but she noticed the gray diamond on his chest, exactly like the diamonds on the soldiers that were lying around them. 

"I see... what my soldiers have done," the man in white said, his tone deep and somber. He walked forwards and kicked the soldier to the side. He then walked towards the mothers on the ground before stopping. He then raised his arms into the air and chanted, "Sdog fo dlo, emit, dna srats, I ksa fo eeht ot gnirb eseht owt latrom serhtom kcab ot eht mlaer I ediser ni ni nruter rof eht secifircas I llahs evig!" For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then a beam of light came from the sky and landed on the two mothers, healing their wounds and making grass and flowers sprout from the ground. The beam then faded and the mothers blinked before they slowly got up, looking around, confused. The girl got up and ran to them jumping into their arms.

The mothers clutched their daughter, crying altogether before the girl looked up to see the man lower his hood. The hair on his head and his small beard were black, but had a strands of gray and white in them. She then looked at his emotionless dead face and into his purple and gray eyes.

...

Jolting up, the black haired princess panted from her dream. She then looked around and saw that there was no fire and no blood. Just her desk, her armoire with the mirror that reflected her scared bronze face, and her closet that contained her dresses and casual clothing. 

She then jumped once more when her door began to bang, hearing a soft, "Princess Lapis? Are you ok?" 

"Uh- Yes! Yes, I am fine," Lapis answered as she got out of bed, in a blue night gown, and went to her closet. She chose a dress that wasn't poofy and went down to her ankles and reluctantly put on some shoes that matched her dress. She opened the door to reveal her mother's personal servant. Despite the decorative dress and her timid stature, Lapis knew that the servant was armed and could kill anyone those who dare threaten those she served. 

"Well then, Princess Lapis. Your mother requires you for breakfast," the servant whispered shakily. "Pearl, you know you can just say 'Lapis', right?" Lapis asked, raising an eyebrow. "It would not be proper for me to do so Lapis, but since I follow yours and your mother's orders, I will refer to you as 'Lapis'." Pearl whispered with a small smile. Lapis smiled back before she asked, "So, what time does breakfast start?"

"Five minutes ago, Lapis." The princess felt a stone fall in her heart before she ran out. "Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" she quietly whispered to herself as she ran through the hallways. She slowed down when she neared the dining room, she slowed down, regaining her breath before she opened the doors.

She immediately saw the guards from both the white and yellow regions. "Nice of you to finally join us, Lapis," Azula said with a teasing edge in her voice before she took a sip from her goblet. "Apologies Mother. I had an interesting dream I couldn't wake from," Lapis said before she took her seat. "May I ask why there are soldiers from both the white and yellow regions?"

"Until we know that the threat of a rebellion is gone, rotations between soldiers of the different regions will occur monthly," Azula answered, looking her in the eyes before the doors opened again to reveal Aurelia's sorceress. Azula and Lapis watched as she walked up to one of the soldiers of her region and whispered something in their ear. The soldier whispered something back and the sorceress nodded before leaving the room. Lapis looked at her mother, expecting a comment on the encounter, but she only found pity in her eyes as she finished eating.

...

When they had finished eating, Azula left to get ready for her meetings while Lapis went out to the town. She smiled as she skipped and walked down the roads, greeting her people. Still roaming around, Lapis found her way to a farm. She leaned against the fence as she watched the livestock graze. A few chickens had walked up to her and she gave them bits of bread she had took during breakfast. 

She crouched down at one of the chickens and said, "I've always wondered what it would be like to be an animal. To be praised for just existing and receive gifts from us." The brown and white chicken just cocked its head at her before returning to the bread crumbs. Lapis only chuckled at its actions before she heard the galloping of hooves. She turned and saw Aurelia's sorceress galloping past her. She looked like she was thinking about something as she slowed her brown steed to a jog. She then saw five women behind the sorceress, laughing a joking around. 

Lapis got up and followed them, her curiosity controlling her. Lapis cursed when they entered a tavern. Everyone knew who she was. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long when she saw them come out with another female. Lapis reeled back when she realized that it was Aurelia's captain, the armor and yellow diamond on her chest a dead giveaway. 

Lapis didn't hear the footsteps behind her as she watched seven leave. She did, however, hear the air whooshing behind her and turned around to see a pommel plummet straight towards her face. 

...

Muffled voices were heard as Lapis slowly regained consciousness. She groaned and tried to move but soon found that she couldn't. 

"We said kidnap a soldier, Pearl, not the heir of Azula!" someone screeched loudly, making Lapis jolt up. She saw a tall woman with a block-shaped afro and a small stout woman staring at a thin woman that reminded her of Pearl back home, but with peach hair. 

"Soldiers work through pain," the one named Pearl coldly said, causing Lapis to freeze, fear creeping into her bones. "I really doubt that princesses can do that." Lapis began to shake, trying to get out of the chains that prevented her from moving. The clinking of her chains caught the women's attention. 

"Looks like someone's awake, P," the stout one said as the taller one said, "We're not going to torture her, Pearl."

"Then what are we going to do with her Garnet? We can't kill her nor return her!" Pearl exclaimed as the three casually walked to Lapis, who gave up on escaping and just sat there, trembling. 

"Put her in the room, Amethyst," Garnet said before staring at Pearl. The stout woman walked towards Lapis, who trembled even more. "Sorry about this," Amethyst said before she felt a warm hand touch her cheek. She looked and saw the hand belonged to Garnet before the warmth began to spread. Lapis stopped trembling before her head dropped forward. She then began to snore.


	4. Betrayal

It was a day after the meeting and Peridot was riding on her horse to the blue region. Following her was the "Ruby Squad" that consisted of Doc, Navy, Leggy, Eyeball, and Army. Peridot still doesn't understand why they call themselves that nor how they were named, but she honestly didn't care. She did care about the noise they were making. 

"Of course Jasper was sent into Azula's land," she muttered to herself. "Preventing me from doing my mission."

Soon, she saw buildings and Azula's castle and scowled at the thought of people as she pulled up her hood. She gently pulled the reins, getting her horse to slow to a casual stroll. She ignored the faces that stared at her in awe and fear. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her thigh and heard the people around her gasp. She tensed and looked at the face of a girl who looked a week from dying of starvation. 

Peridot's scowl softened to a soft frown before she moved her satchel from her lap and dug into it, bringing out a loaf of bread and fifteen gold coins and forty-three silver pieces. She wrapped them in a clean rag before giving them to the girl. The girl had stars in her eyes as she whispered, "Thank you." Peridot hesitated before patting her head in response and waited for the girl to go into the crowd. "Ym noitcetorp si nrow dnuora reh, gnitneverp esoht morf gnimrah reh," Peridot whispered before a small green wisp left her hand and shot towards the girl. 

After the encounter with the girl, the Rubies had gone quiet, making Peridot wish they were being loud again. In the process, they passed by a tavern that emitted loud laughter and shouting. 

When they reached the castle, Peridot got off her horse and handed the reins to one of the hostlers. Just as Doc was about to get off, she felt something lift her back onto her horse. "Go search for Jasper throughout the village. I'll ask around the castle," Peridot ordered, receiving their salutes in return before they went their separate ways. Peridot brought out her journal and wrote, "Now in Azula's region, I am searching for Captain Jasper Iratus for... help... in my quest to retrieve the mage from the first war, Prudens Poenitet. The squires that volunteered, known as the 'Ruby Squad' (I refer to them as the Rubies.) are currently searching Azula's region for the Captain. There is a forty percent chance that they may die."

After Peridot put away her journal, she then walked towards the door where someone was waiting for her. They then opened the door, making Peridot narrow her eyes before she walked in. She sighed in relief and annoyance when she saw that there weren't many people around.

...

"How has no one seen her?" she muttered irately to herself. "She's practically seven feet tall!" She calmed herself before turning to walk where the dining room was. She opened the doors and saw Azula and her daughter eating breakfast. She faltered for a second before going to one of the guards that were posted in this room. 

"Have you seen Captain Iratus?" Peridot whispered, so as not to disturb Azula and her daughter. "Captain Iratus left to go to the Lonely Gem about an hour ago," the guard said. Peridot clenched her fist, going red in the face. The guard felt something move on his side. He then took a step back from the twitching sorceress, her face getting redder before she sighed, nodded at him and left. 

It wasn't until after she left that the guard realized his sword was now bent and poking him.

...

When Peridot walked out, she realized that she needed to round up the Rubies. She rubbed her temples with both of her gloved-hands before walking to the stables to get her horse. She then rode around the town, searching for the Rubies. Navy was in a field of flowers, Doc and Army were in the market, looking at the products, while Leggy and Eyeball were in another part of the market, actually asking for where Jasper was. 

Peridot really wanted to yell at them for wasting time, but she took a deep breath and rode to the tavern, the Rubies trailing from behind. As they rode to where Jasper was supposed to be, Peridot saw a hint of blue and slightly looked to the left and saw a women wearing all blue, a chicken beside her. Peridot felt something churn in her gut before she looked ahead again and saw the Lonely Gem. Outside was a horse with a blonde coat, blotches of brown covering it, with a silver mane and a silver tail.

They hitched their horses outside the tavern, Peridot going at a slower rate while the Rubies hastily hitched their horses to the post behind a tray for water. Peridot pulled her hood farther over her head as she stepped into the loud tavern. 

She saw the Rubies point and walk forwards. Not wanting to be left alone, Peridot hurried after them. Everyone appeared to be shouting and Peridot couldn't think, her mind going blank. She clenched her fists as she walked past people, trying to ignore the loud noises. She breathed in deeply before exhaling.

Then she saw Jasper. The big lug was talking and laughing, a mug in her hand. She was currently arm wrestling with a man with her build. Peridot walked over to them and watched until Jasper slammed the man's hand against the table. Some men cheered at her victory while others groaned. Peridot frowned when the Rubies began cheering her on. She then saw Jasper glance at her. 

"Peridot! How are you?" Jasper shouted, the smell of alcohol emitting from her. "Irritated since I've been looking for you," Peridot grumbled as the men laughed, some walking away. "This one of your whores, Jasper?" one asked, preventing Jasper from speaking. The bar suddenly went quiet as Peridot, now staring at the table, clenched her fist. The man suddenly gasped as he felt the air leave his lungs. "Insulting those of higher status is punishable by death. To call me, the sorceress of Aurelia Diamond, a 'whore' is the most insulting thing I've ever been called," Peridot said, her words cold and venomous. The man was now leaning on the table, scrabbling to keep himself up. Peridot then squeezed her fist and everyone heard a muffled pop come from his chest. He slowly leaned to the left before falling onto the ground, blood coming from his mouth. 

Peridot looked at Jasper before walking out the door. Just as she got on her horse, Peridot looked up to see the Rubies tailing Jasper. Peridot waited for them as they got on their horses, Leggy being the last to get on. Without another word, Peridot's horse went into a gallop, heading for the edge of the region.

...

Blue eyes slowly opened before she looked up to see her face staring back at her. Lapis's face has visible tear streaks and her eyes were red and puffy. Her throat also itched since she had screamed when she first woke up, demanding to be let out the room. To go back home. She had been fortunate enough to have a couch she woke up on and chains that allowed her to roam the room, but prevented her from reaching the wall. She hated the walls. They were made of mirrors, and she felt like she was being watched by her own reflection every time she moved.

Today, however, was different when one of her captors, Amethyst, left open the hole that was used to insert food. Lapis sent a prayer of thanks before getting on her chest and looking outside to see a Rose Quartz sitting on the throne, looking bored as she heard the reports spoken by her court. To the right of her was Pearl, the one that had kidnapped her.

Lapis was getting bored from hearing the reports herself until she was startled by a chubby face that had a huge smile on it. 

"Hi!" the boy said cheerfully. Lapis scattered away from the hole, covering her face. "Hey, don't worry," the cheerful tone was replaced with a worried tone. "I'm not going to harm you. I just wanted to talk." Lapis crawled back to the hole and looked at the boy. His clothes gave him away now that Lapis was properly looking at him. "I'm Steven. What's your name?"

She only stared at him, his smile slowly turning into a concerned frown. "Lapis. Lapis Lazuli," was her only scratchy response. She sounded like Pearl who was probably worrying about her, helping her mother cope. 

"Aunt Azula's daughter?" Steven asked as he plopped down outside the hole. Lapis nodded, solemnly. Steven's concerned face returned before his face brightened. He put his hand to his mouth and blew, a raspberry was heard, loud enough for them to giggle at, but quiet enough so it wouldn't disturb the court.

The sound of the door opening ceased the court and the two heirs as the sorceress and captain of Aurelia stepped in. Rose straightened herself as she looked at them, dismissing her court. 

...

The ride to Rose's region took three days. Three days of constant shouting between the Rubies and Jasper. She sighed in relief when they saw the castle in the distance. Just a few more days and I'll be back in my quarters, working alone in silence, Peridot thought as they passed by a village. 

No one came out of their houses to greet them. Peridot was certain that she saw some windows being covered up by something as she slowed her horse to a small jog. Peridot bit down as an unsettling feeling ran throughout her. 

As they neared the castle, Peridot took a breath to calm herself. Just walk in, ask for someone that knew the mountains, and return home. Peridot got off of her horse and hitched it to a pole before walking up the stairs. The creaking of Jasper's armor alerted Peridot that she was following. Peridot stopped at a sudden realization. "You five stay here and watch the horses," she said before continuing up the stairs, feeling their stares. Peridot ignored them as she opened the doors.

The chattering Peridot heard for a second ceased. She noticed Rose straighten herself before dismissing everyone in the room. She also noticed the thin woman at her side, her spear being used as a staff. Peridot walked to stand in front of Rose and did their salute, bowing as she did so. 

"My Diamond, as a humble servant to all the Diamonds, I ask for a guide to the mountains," Peridot said, still in a bow. "What for sorceress?" Rose asked, her voice firm but soft. "Aurelia sent me to look through the mountains for the mage known as Prudens," Peridot answered, still in a bow. "The mage of... White Diamond from the first rebellion? He should be dead," Rose said, leaning forward a bit. "There are reports of sightings of him living in the mountains."

Rose leaned back into her throne before she said, "That would be a lot of power for Aurelia to possess. It may be enough to destroy the rebellion that has taken place here."  
Peridot looked up to see Rose smiling when she said, "Fortunately, she won't possess that power."

Peridot took a step back before she heard, "Sorry Peridot." She was then trapped in a hug by Jasper, slowly squeezing her oxygen out as the pressure increased. Peridot was panicking, squirming and wriggling to do anything to get out of Jasper's arms. She pounded against the armor on Jasper's arms, not caring that it hurt. She just wanted to get out of her grasp. 

In the midst of her panicking, Peridot's notebook flew out and began to hammer away at Jasper's head. She still didn't move until Peridot was unconscious, the notebook falling next to Jasper's boots. 

Jasper loosened her grip on Peridot before putting her on her shoulder. "Put her in the dungeons. I want two groups in the mountain. Jasper, Pearl, I want you two to pick your groups and lead them. This must be done immediately," Rose ordered, her face serious. 

"Yes my Diamond," both Jasper and Pearl said simultaneously.


	5. Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello my dear readers! Bet you weren't expecting that ending from the last chapter huh? Actually, that's a lie because of... the... title. Heh. Yeah.

"Incoming!" a soldier shouted before a loud explosion was heard in the distance, screams following the explosion. "Hold your ground! Support will be here soon!" the captain shouted, hacking down a rebel from behind with his short sword. A soldier of the captain fell, a sword in their back. "Keep fighting!" the captain shouted once more before an arrow hit his shoulder. He grunted before continuing to fight albeit slower than before. 

A kick to the back sent the captain to the ground. He attempted to get up, but a sword was driven into his calf, pinning his leg to the dirt. He screamed in pain as the fighting seized, the remaining few soldiers of his were forced onto their knees before him. 

"You know, I was expecting more of a challenge when I heard a battalion of soldiers were heading their way to reclaim (village name)," a rebel said, pulling out his scimitar. "I had no idea Homeworld soldiers were so easy to beat with just fifty rebels!" With a thrust, the scimitar entered one of the soldiers in the chest, a gargled gasp escaping their mouth. With a firm pull, the scimitar exited the soldier. The tug caused the soldier to fall forwards, their dead eyes staring at the captain. 

After a moment of silence, the rebel laughed. "Oh stars! I didn't actually think y'all were this emotionless!" The captain clenched his fists at the rebel. "Well then, I don't think y'all aren't needed anymore!" The rebel proposed before he felt the warmth of the sun disappear. He looked up to see a black cloud dancing above them, its movement mesmerizing before it dived towards them.

"Focus on the cloud!" the rebel order, sending a burst of fire at the cloud. The cloud lazily rolled to the left, avoiding the flames. Unbeknownst to the group of rebels, a man in white was walking towards them, his white hood obscuring his face. A rebel noticed him and ran at him, mace high in the air. The rebel pulled his mace back to strike the man, but he hesitated when he saw the man's emotionless, cold face. In a moment's instant, a white blur was all the man saw until he felt a dagger slice his throat. 

The man then put his hand out and a gray bolt of lighting ran out, jumping through half of the rebels, killing them. The cloud, which was an unkindness of ravens, greeted the other half of rebels. They screamed as the ravens bit at their eyes. The man casually walked to the rebels and pulled out the falchion on his waist, striking down the rebels as he walked through the unkindness. 

When the screams ceased, the man waved his hand away. The unkindness flew away, leaving a patch of bloodied corpses. He then turned to the captain and his horrified soldiers and said, "How you were beaten by them is beyond me."  
"They ambushed and drove us back into this clearing, Sorcerer Prudens," the captain said, saluting the sorcerer before him. 

"That's more believable," Prudens said as he placed a hand where blood was still seeping from the captain. A comforting warmth erupted from his hand, the wound healing itself. "Thank the stars you came. I don't know how longer we'd have lasted," the captain said as Prudens walked to the rebel that was taunting the soldiers. "You wouldn't have fought for long," he said as he grabbed the rebel.

"Oh fuck... me," the rebel weakly said, blood dripping from his mouth. "Duty first," Prudens replied coldly as he placed a hand the rebel and healed him. The rebel screamed as their body was healed. He felt his skin regrow, most of the wounds from the unkindness. When he was done being healed, he wheezed and panted while Prudens leaned back on his heels.

"Why heal me?" the rebel asked after the pain subsided. The emotionless mask Prudens wore broke when he softly smiled. "I heal all those that I... question. It makes your senses and body a bit more sensitive and weak for a while," he said, his voice monotone as the rebel's face contorted in fear before he punched Prudens. The blow slightly made Prudens face turn to the left while the rebel hissed and clutched his hand. "I told you it would make you more sensitive," Prudens said, catching the rebel's attention as he stood up. A quick kick to the face and the rebel was rendered unconscious. 

Prudens then looked at the soldiers and said, "Retreat to the nearest base and give your report of failure." He then took a white glove off and brought his hand to his lips before letting out a loud, high-pitched whistle. The soldiers saluted him, earning the salute back from him, before marching away. 

...

Lapis shot up from her sleep, her breaths short and quick. She looked around and saw that she was still contained in the room full of mirrors. She then remembered what had occurred yesterday, how the sorceress of Aurelia Diamond had been taken prisoner by the rebels. After the sorceress was taken away, Steven had to leave Lapis to avoid getting her in trouble. 

Lapis curled up, wrapping her arms around her legs as she leaned against the door. She felt her tears smear against her biceps. She jumped out of her self wallowing when she heard screams and laughter.

...

Peridot slowly came to her senses when she realized how cold she was. Her eyes snapped open and she saw her coat lying on the side. She moved her arm and heard the rattle of chains. She looked down at her feet and saw that they weren't chained to the ground. She looked up and saw a glass wall, containing nothing but darkness. 

"If it were up to me, I'd have thrown you into that room," someone said behind her. Peridot tensed as she felt a hand push her body forwards before she stopped right in front of the glass. After a second or two, something slammed on the other side. It had black skin with purple veins that seemed to glow. The head looked like a human skull mashed with the skull of a wolf, too many tongues for tongues shaking outside its mouth. Peridot was screaming as the monster clawed at the glass, trying to get to her as she heard laughter. 

A swift kick to the stomach and her jailer huffed. Peridot then kicked against the glass wall, pushing herself away from the monster that stared at her for a few moments longer with its black eyes before jumping back into the darkness.

"You're gonna regret doing that, Tiny," the woman said, making Peridot freeze in place as she examined the woman before her. Her hair was colored like a rainbow and was in dreadlocks. She had a similar build to Jasper too. A giant fist was thrown into Peridot's gut, almost making her throw up. 

Peridot looked up and saw a stick strike her right in the face, making her cry out. She then felt a sharp smack hit her side. "I'd take your gloves off, but they're too tight to get off." A hit to her stomach and calf left Peridot hissing. A large hand gripped Peridot's shoulder so she could face her torturer. "I'm glad that you're here since we can't touch a hair on the princess," she said before smacking Peridot's face over and over, ensuing in sharp cries. 

"That's enough, Bismuth," a cool voice said, earning a huff from Peridot's torturer. "I don't know Garnet, give me a few more minutes and she'll be talking soon enough."  
Peridot, meanwhile, was slightly sobbing as her head hung low.

"You're not getting anything out of her except for terrified screams and slight sobbing," Garnet said, earning a scoff from Bismuth. "Yeah and your type of interrogation actually allows prisoners to make a sentence."

"That was only two times, Bismuth. Lightning isn't exactly easy to control," Garnet said, making Peridot begin to shake. Her shaking made the chains rattle, getting the attention of Garnet and Bismuth. "Well then, I guess I'll have to leave you here since Tiny reacted to lightning," Bismuth said, smirking as Peridot began to shake more violently, tugging her chains. 

Bismuth then walked out, leaving a trembling Peridot and Garnet. Peridot's shaking got worse as she heard Garnet's footsteps. "Back off you clod!" Peridot hissed loudly as she used her chains to swing back into the the glass. "I know the glass is strong enough to protect us, so I don't fear them," Garnet said as she grabbed Peridot's foot and tugged her to the middle of the room. 

Peridot went to kick Garnet, but a swift blow to her shin stopped her, making her scream as she felt her bone move. Her scream was shut short when she was punched in the gut, followed by a blow to the face. 

"Now that we've greeted each other," Garnet said as she held her hands up, sparks coming off the, "you're going to tell me what Aurelia's plans are and weakpoints in your castle."

"Never!" Peridot shouted, her voice full of defiance. It disappeared though when Garnet's hand moved towards her. "No! Back off! Get away from me you excuse for a warrior!" Garnet froze in surprise by the insult before she shot her hand over, laying it over Peridot's stomach. Peridot spazzed out as electricity coursed throughout her body. When Garnet removed her hand, Peridot slumped, sobs racking her body.

"Give me the weak points of Aurelia's castle or I'll do it again," Garnet said, turning her back to the sorceress. After a beat of silence, Garnet turned around to see Peridot had gone unconscious. She walked to the sorceress and put a hand on her arm, zapping her. Peridot immediately jolted, shaking and trying to get away from the pain that was sent through her. Garnet then punched her in the stomach, making Peridot dry heave. She then grabbed her by her jaw and tilted her face up so the sorceress was looking at her. "Weak points. Now."

A loud thud startled the both of them. They looked to the glass and saw the monster that had tried to get Peridot earlier. This time, however, its dark eyes were now purple and was leaving scratch marks on the thick glass. Garnet let go of Peridot and placed her hand on the glass. A small bolt of lightning was sent through the glass, hitting the monster and sending it flying back into the darkness. As Garnet did this, the lightning allowed Peridot to see many more monsters that flinched away from the bolt.

The door was kicked open and Peridot saw the thin woman at the doorway. "Pearl? You can't be back yet?" Garnet said, confused. "It began to rain and Rose doesn't want to risk our lives," Pearl said boredly as she walked up to Peridot and poked her in the side with her spear, making the sorceress jump and squirm. 

Another thud from the window made them look at two of the monsters vigorously clawing at the glass. "What the hell has gotten into them," Pearl said before whispering into her hand. She directed her hand at the monsters and opened it, sending a blinding flash of light at them. They immediately fell off, squealing. 

Peridot squeaked when the blade of Pearl's spear was placed against her throat. "What are you doing?" Pearl growled, making Peridot tremble. "I-I'm doing nothing," she said, stuttering. "I di-didn't even know these things existed!" 

Soon, a chorus of bells were ringing and shouting was heard. Pearl and Garnet looked at each other as they heard glass break from outside. They then ran out the door, leaving Peridot alone as more of the monsters scratched through the glass. "No! Don't leave me in here!" she shouted as the glass broke and the three monsters coursed into her room, one with purple eyes and veins while the others were jet black.

...  
A/N: Was gonna plan to end it here, but then thought that I won't make y'all suffer.

Lapis has been taking a nap when all the bells and the shouting had occurred.  
"Use light spells!" Lapis heard someone shout. Lapis peaked to look what was going on and saw a monster with black eyes staring right at her. She yelped, jumping back from the monster. It began hissing as it was pulled away by someone. A strangled shout and the sounds of bones crunching from the door was heard and Lapis saw blood splatter into her room from the small hole. A bang against her door made Lapis whimper as the battle outside seemed to cease. "This is it," Lapis thought as another bang made the hinges loose, "this is where I'm going to die." The door finally collapsed and the giant monster stared at her with its black eyes. 

Lapis was too petrified to do anything. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Her breathing began to increase as the monster began to walk towards her. Lapis began trembling before separate snarls caught the attention of the monster in front of Lapis. Lapis turned and saw three smaller monsters with purple veins and eyes approaching the monster in front of Lapis at alarming speeds. The bigger monster crushed one of the smaller monsters with a well placed stomp, but the other two leaped and began tearing into the bigger monster. It howled in pain as it stumbled out the room, slamming into walls to get the monsters off its back. 

Lapis saw her opportunity and ran out her door. She gagged a little when she saw the carnage that was left out here. The soldiers of Rose had been slaughtered. She then ran to the door that led to outside when a black monster jumped onto her back, digging its nails into her. She screeched in pain as the monster began to claw at her back, leaving it scarred, save for the center of her back. 

Lapis heard another snarl, making more tears come from her eyes. The weight on her back was thrown off, relieving her of her torture. Lapis turned her head, wincing as she turned, and saw a purple monster eating the monster that was attacking her. It turned around and looked at her, its purple eyes staring at her before getting up and walking to her as a jovial dog would. Lapis trembled, panicking before she shrieked in pain as the monster's tongue raked against her back. Lapis then realized that with each stroke, the pain subsided. When it stopped licking her, Lapis hesitantly got up. When she saw that the monster didn't attack her, she lowered her guard. 

The door was then slammed open and Lapis saw another of the purple monsters carrying the sorceress. It was running at full speed towards them, away from the soldiers that were chasing it. Lapis then saw it throw its front feet forwards and pushed upwards with its hind legs, sending the sorceress and her jacket towards them. The monster at Lapis's side jumped into the air and caught the sorceress on its back before landing in front of Lapis, its tongue lolling out of its mouth. 

Lapis just stared at it before it wiggled its butt, indicating for her to get on. Lapis got onto the monster as an arrow whizzed past her. She looked from the direction of where it came from and saw Pearl with a bow, aiming another arrow at her. Just as Pearl released the arrow, the monster shot forwards, breaking through the doors that led to outside. 

Lapis had almost fallen off when they burst through the doors. The monster then turned and began to head for the mountains. After they were far from the castle, the monster had slowed its pace to a jog, allowing Lapis to be a bit more comfortable. Lapis looked at the sorceress and saw that her coat was about to fall. She leaned forward a bit and grabbed the coat. She then pulled it to herself when she saw that there was a book in there. 

...

Most of the clouds above the mountains disappeared, allowing some patches of the sky to be seen through the light gray masses. Close to the cave entrance, a hooded figure in dirty gray robes was staring at Rose's castle. The shadows allowed him to use their eyes and ears. He had seen and heard everything that occurred in the castle. It was unfortunate when he couldn't control all of the corrupted, but he still accomplished what he wanted to do. A purr was heard and the man felt something crawling around his neck. "Only a matter of time, Micah," he said to the black cat that was snuggling into his neck. "Until then, we must be patient."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: HA! Despite it being finals week, I finished this chapter! I also hope you guys do well on your finals and that the stress leaves y'all! Anyways, leave feedback, give a little love to your partner, rebel, and have a good day!


	6. Truth

Lapis leaned against the monster, now going at a slower pace than before when they were escaping the castle. She groaned as the air got colder, making her shiver. She then looked at Peridot, who was still unconscious. Lapis wanted to wear the coat, but she restrained herself and did what she could with her skirt. She did, however, take the notebook she found in the coat and began to read from it. 

She read the reports Peridot wrote down everyday along with her thoughts of the tasks assigned to her. She stared at the sorceress who looked as if she was having a bad dream.

...

‘Peridot opened her eyes to see the green leaves from a tree slightly shaking from the breeze. She sat up and saw what looked to be a thriving village. The laughter of children was heard and she saw a group of children run by, smiles huge and eyes shining with innocence. Peridot's heart skipped a beat as she stared at them, envying them. 

She then got to her feet and walked to the village to see people happily chatting, some laughing while others ate. Peridot noticed how all of them, were in groups. Not a single person was excluded... except for her.’ 

...

Lapis watched the sorceress move a tad bit in her sleep, smiling and frowning at some points. "I wonder what she's dreaming about," she said to herself, earning a grunt from the monster. She reached down and gave it a scratch, making it go slower and purr loudly. Lapis giggled softly at its reaction before stopping. 

Her stomach rumbled, and Lapis felt a pang of hunger. She went into the satchel, that she found wrapped in the sorceress's coat, and looked for something to eat to sate her hunger. She found a block of cheese wrapped in a rag. Her heart did somersaults as she took a bite out of it. She took another bite when she realized she was halfway through with it. Although still hungry, Lapis wrapped the cheese and put it back in the satchel. 

She then noticed how the monster veered off the path towards the caves. They entered one of the cave mouths before the monster laid down. Lapis looked at the monster as it began to sleep. Lapis looked at Peridot before placing the satchel on her chest. However, when she did that, a piece of paper fell out. Lapis slowly picked it up and unfolded it, seeing it was a map. Her eyes widened when saw the name "Prudens" on it. 

...

‘The wind began to pick up and the sky got cloudier, indicating a storm was about to happen. Peridot, however, ignored it as she walked through the village. She stopped walking when she heard a baby crying. She turned to a house that was colored an aqua blue. After walking to it, Peridot looked inside to see two mothers, one holding a baby while the other talked to what looked like a cleric talking to them. "You're child is the only one in this village that cries during our Silent Hour," the cleric said, his head held high. 

"She's a baby! That's what they do!" the mother holding the crying baby exclaimed. The cleric shoved a finger at her and said, "Belle Zircon, yours is the only one that cries during Silent Hour. A time when the gods come down to bless everyone in this village." 

"Get your finger away!" the other mother growled, slapping the clerics hand away. "Why do you even care if she cries?" 

"She interrupts Silent Hour! She could push the gods away from us and bring misfortune down on us!" the cleric shouted. No sooner had he said that, screaming was heard. Peridot looked away and saw an army approaching. She froze when she saw Aurelia's banner coming towards them.’

...

Lapis paced, still looking at the map that was made by the sorceress. "This... my mother always told me... oh no. Oh no," Lapis muttered, remembering what her mother told her. "This is a bad name. This name has laid waste to many villages and fortresses back in the war. If he is still alive, then more needless blood will be shed." A snort from the monster caused Lapis to look at it. "This won't be good. No one will be safe!" she exclaimed, finishing her rant. After a few moments, Lapis sat down, her own words began to hit her. "Another war will occur if Prudens comes out of hiding." 

To make matters worse, Lapis heard howling that came from outside.

...

‘Peridot watched in horror as Aurelia's army destroyed buildings, killing anyone they crossed paths with... even children. The cleric came outside and began shouting, begging them to stop before they cut him down as well. However, before they had killed him, he had ran to the Zircons' house and shouted, "Your child has brought us to Death! The entire village is dying because of your child! Damn you! Damn your entire family!" 

That was the last thing he shouted before a bolt of lightning hit him on the back of his shoulder, throwing him forwards. He was gasping as he tried to get back up, but a sword went into his back, killing him. Peridot gasped as she realized it was Aurelia herself. She watched as Aurelia kicked the door down and walk into the house. 

Peridot walked in and saw the Zircons on the ground, trying to protect their baby. "Please don't," Belle whimpered, "please." Aurelia just stared at them, her cold eyes not leaving them before she put out her hand. "Serve the Authority and I won't kill you or your child," she stated, her sword slowly inching towards them.’ 

...

After placing Peridot on the ground, the monster got in front of them and stared at the entrance. Lapis inched towards the back of the cave as the howling got closer. The monster growled, the sound deep and terrifying, causing the howling to stop for a second. Several growls replaced the howling as wolves slowly entered the cave. 

Lapis gasped as the wolves stared back at the monster before they attacked, running into the cave. The monster slammed its paw down, killing one while the rest surrounded it, barking and biting its ankles. Lapis didn't see Peridot move. 

...

Peridot slowly awoke from her dream as she heard what sounded like barking. 'Outrageous,' she thought as she slowly opened her eyes, 'animals aren't allowed insi- "HOLY SHIT!" she screamed, jumping to her feet as she finally realized that there were six wolves and a giant beast in front of her.

Almost immediately, her hands were surrounded by a light green hue. "I nommus eht erif ni ym regna!" she shouted, green fire appearing from her hands. Peridot sent a ball towards the wall, making the wolves and monster to flinch away and stop fighting. Peridot threw another ball of flame towards the animals, sending the wolves out of the cave. 

The monster, however, merely flinched at the fire. Peridot was about to throw another ball of flame when Lapis shouted, "STOP!"

Peridot turned to look at Lapis when she felt a gust of warm air on the back of her neck. Peridot paled as she slowly turned back around and looked right at the monster's purple eyes. Peridot's heartbeat increased as they stared at each other in tense silence before the monster leaned forward and licked Peridot's face. Her flames were extinguished as she slightly gagged from its breath. 

Laughter ensued and Peridot looked at the dirty princess, who was slightly bowing since she was laughing so hard. The monster came in to lick Peridot again, but Peridot shoves it's face away. "No. No!" she growled before failing and having the monster lick her face. Lapis laughed even harder now as Peridot scrubbed her face of the spit that was on her face. 

After the monster licked Peridot, it lied down near the entrance, leaving Peridot and Lapis together. "Are you done laughing?" Peridot asked as she sat down on a rock. Lapis, who was just beginning to stop laughing, struggled to say, "N-no." 

Peridot rolled her eyes before sticks entered the cave. The monster merely lifted its head at the sticks as they floated over his head and formed a pile right in front of Lapis, who had stopped laughing. Peridot then snapped and the pile was set on fire. Lapis stared at Peridot before sitting down. "Thank you," she timidly said as she reveled in the warmth of the fire. Peridot gave a grunt as the map by Lapis's side flew away from her. 

Lapis watched in anticipation as Peridot looked at her map, looking for anything that was wrong with it. She then watched as Peridot neatly fold the map. "In no attempt am I trying to be rude, but is there a reason you're staring at me?" Peridot asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "You can't find him. Why are you even looking for him?" Lapis asked, her voice loud. 

Peridot looked at Lapis and said, "Because your mother and Aurelia ordered me to retrieve him." 

"Impossible. My mother told me the stories passed down onto her from the war. She wouldn't even dare say his name in front of me unless she needed to," Lapis argued, refusing to think that her mother would agree to recover him. Peridot whispered something in her hand before she flung her hand towards the fire. A loud POP! echoed throughout the cave, making Lapis jump away from the fire in fear. 

Three balls of fire flew out the pile to form three tiny figures. Recovered from her initial shock, Lapis leaned towards the figures as they began talking. Peridot's eyes were glowing light green as she played out exactly what happened when she was told to retrieve Prudens. Lapis gapped as the figures began to talk as with the voices that belonged to them. 

When Peridot extinguished the figures, she felt lightheaded and shut her eyes tightly. "So they want another war to occur?" Lapis uttered in disbelief, hugging her legs to her chest. Peridot opened her eyes as the sea of blackness slowly disappeared from her vision. "With or without Prudens, a war will still occur. Just like I will soon be, he was a tool the Authority used to fight the war," Peridot softly said.

No one said anything after that. Neither of them slept that night.

...

"1,115 years and now they decide to act? It doesn't make sense!" Rose exclaimed, slamming her fist on the table. 

"It doesn't help when they only reacted when Peridot was beginning to get tortured," Pearl noted, making everyone in the room uneasy. 

"She couldn't have controlled them because from the way she reacted, it appeared this was the first time she has ever encountered the corrupted," Garnet added, releasing some of the tension in the room. 

Rose looked in thought as she stared at the table before she looked at the Pearl and Jasper. "Gather your teams because I want you in the mountains at first light. The priority has changed from Prudens to Peridot and Azula's daughter. Capture and bring them back alive," she said, concluding the meeting. Everyone in the room nodded at her before filing out of the room. No one noticed the shadow on the wall move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Usually Summer is used for opportunities, but with me, my motivation just goes away and the only way I can actually write is at night. Any who, apologies if the chapter seems a bit rushed, sloppy, and so long to publish this chapter. I felt sluggish in some parts when writing this. See y'all next time *finger guns*.


	7. Hunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since i don’t know how to put italics on, ‘’ means thoughts, dreams, or flashbacks.

"Pearl!" Amethyst whined, in the form of a cougar. "How much longer until we can go back?" Pearl rubbed her forehead before she said, "The sorceress and princess can't have gone far. We should be able to capture them relatively soon!"

Amethyst let out a small "merp" before running forwards to scout ahead. "Gah! She's too much!" Pearl exclaimed to Garnet who wasn't paying attention and only just said, "What?" Pearl only starred at her before they heard loud barking. They looked to where it seemed to be coming from and saw Amethyst, still in her cougar form, running towards them while shouting, "SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!" as she was being chased by a pack of wolves.

Pearl only raised her right hand, surrounding it in a baby blue hue before chanting, "Raeh dna deeh ym eciov rof won I lortnoc uoy lla." A wave of the hue exploded out towards the wolves and they immediately stopped walking, their eyes glowing baby blue. Pearl made the alpha come forwards before reaching into her satchel and grabbed a dirty blue fabric that had been ripped off. "Dnif eht tnecs fo ohw siht sgnoleb ot dna kcatta meht," Pearl finished, allowing the albino alpha to sniff the fabric. After it sniffed the cloth, the alpha thrusted its nose into the sky before he and his pack ran in the direction they came from.

"Now what?" Amethyst asked, lying on the ground, exhausted. "Now we follow them and collect our prize," Pearl answered before having her horse go forwards.

An hour had passed while the three followed the wolves, eventually leading to a cave. Pearl got off her horse before walking into the cave, pulling her spear out. Realizing that it was dark, she clenched her fist before opening it, revealing a ball of light. She then made it float to the middle of the cave so that they could see. 

"They were definitely here," Garnet said as she examined what appeared to be scorch marks on the rocks. "There's also blood here," Amethyst called out, kneeling before a dried spot of black blood. After a moment of thinking, Pearl took out a rag and rubbed the dried blood before walking outside to the wolves, still under her control. "Wollof eht s'doolb tnecs," she said, her eyes glowing a baby blue. 

The alpha sniffed it once again before pulling away, eyes squinting as its baby blue eyes dimmed a bit. It sniffed the air again before running off, his pack following him as the trio trailed them.

...

Peridot was small enough to lie on the monster's back without disturbing Lapis, who was also lying on its back, asleep. She was jotting the events that occurred recently, her eyes getting very heavy as she continued to write. When she stopped writing, her stomach growled. Peridot searched her satchel and pulled out what remained of the cheese. She looked at Lapis in disbelief before taking a bite from the cheese before putting it away. 

Peridot rubbed her eyes in hopes of feeling less tired before she saw that they were heading into another cave. She looked down at the beast and saw that it was slightly limping from the wounds the wolves caused. 

As soon as the monster lid down in the cave, Peridot got off its back and went to examine its injuries. She gagged at the smell of its black blood and how chunks seemed to be missing. When she raised her arms, preparing to heal the monster's wounds, a small rumble came from the monster. Peridot flinched before looking at the monster who was taring at her. 

"Please understand me," she whispered to herself before she continued. "Look, I'm trying to heal you so that we can get to your destination faster. If you don't let me heal you, this ride your taking us on will be a whole lot slower, especially if your injuries get worse."

The monster lifted its head and stared at her for another minute before it nodded its head and placed it on the ground. Peridot gave it a nod in return before she raised her arms again, her eyes softly glowing a light green as she said, "Morf enob ot hself, yeht laeh sevlesmeht, gniworger flesti ot sti lanigiro etats erofeb gnieb derujni."

Finished with speaking, her eyes returned to its original color before her hands had a green hue around them. The hue then traveled to the monster's injuries and covered them. Peridot nodded and got up when the injuries began to be healed. Peridot looked at the monster who stared at her with droopy eyes. She gave it a small pat on the head before climbing back onto its back. As she lied down, she wrote of what she did in her journal before staring at the ceiling of the cave, her eyelids heavy. It didn't take long before Peridot fell asleep. 

...

Pearl examined the rag she had rubbed against the dried, black blood. Its stench was so terrible that not even Amethyst could stand it. Despite it being in the Crystal Gem's fortress, no one could ever examine these beasts. The last person that attempted to examine the beasts had taken many precautions, strapping it to a table and having two soldiers and three magic users by him. They were all killed by the hand of the beast before the fool could even begin to examine it. The beast was put down of course, but it took fifteen mages and soldiers to put it down. 

"Pearl," Garnet said, getting her attention, "the wolves have stopped." Pearl looked up and indeed saw that the wolves had stopped, all sniffing the ground. They then walked to one of the caves, all growling at a dark spot that lied on the ground. Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst equipped their weapons before the dark spot began to move. Their heartbeats quickened as they stared at purple and black eyes. The wolves began barking at the monster, who silenced two of the nine wolves with a swipe of its paw. This spurred the wolves into attacking, four of them running around to attack its hind legs while the remaining five attacked its sides and front. 

Pearl watched as the beast fought, killing three more wolves. Pearl sent a ball of light towards the monster, making it roar in pain as it was blinded before sending another ball of light into the sky to indicate their location. The wolves attacked, biting into its hind legs, tearing its right tendon apart. The monster roared in pain before using its left hind leg to send two wolves into the cave walls. The monster then killed three of the wolves with its front paws before killing another wolf with its teeth. The only one that remained was the alpha, who growled at the monster. However, before they could attack, a misty stream of green light hit the alpha’s head. He shook his head, in pain from the small battle that occurred in his head. He stepped to the side, putting his paws over his head, shaking. 

As the alpha tried to survive from the conflict in its head, Pearl growled as the monster limped its way towards them. Pearl looked above the cave and saw a cougar watching the fight with uninterested eyes. She then sent a baby blue stream of light that hit the cougar in the head. It shook its head before Pearl said, “Thgif rof su! Kcatta eht retsnom woleb uoy!” With glowing baby blue eyes, the cougar crouched before launching itself onto the monster’s face, easily latching on. The monster roared, trying to get the cougar off as it scratched its face. Nearby, a bear that heard all the noise stumbled over, curious as to what was causing so much noise. Pearl grinned when she saw the bear and used her magic. The bear, now under Pearl’s control, charged at the monster, slamming into it. 

Unbeknownst to the animals, Peridot and and Lapis fell off the monster when the bear rammed into the monster. “Now!” Pearl exclaimed before charging forwards. Just as she was about to reach them, a blast of green fire erupted from Peridot’s hand, making her roll to the side. Peridot then shoved Lapis into the cave before turning around to face Pearl. “You can’t escape!” Pearl exclaimed as she ran forwards and jumped, before bringing her spear down at Peridot. The sorceress barely dodged, the spear slicing her left shoulder. 

Pearl rolled before jumping back to battle, however, unlike last time, she was thrown back by her spear, as if it had a mind of its own. “Hey! Don’t forget about us!” Amethyst shouted as her whip sliced Peridot’s cheek. She hissed in pain before she heard somebody running at her. At the last second, Peridot dodged a gauntlet that was directed at her face. Peridot kept dodging as Garnet tried to punch her while also dodging Amethyst’s whip before an idea formed in her head. Peridot turned her back to Amethyst just as Garnet threw a punch. Peridot fell to the ground and had the gauntlet twist itself around the whip, catching Garnet off guard. Peridot flicked her hand towards herself and the gauntlet came off. She then had the gauntlet circle herself before throwing it towards Garnet, who easily blocked it with her other gauntlet. She, however, ended up tripping over Amethyst’s whip.

“Peridot! Behind you!” Lapis shouted from the cave. Peridot jumped to the side as Pearl slammed her spear into the ground. At the same time, she used her spear to kick Peridot in the chest, sending her on her back. Peridot wheezed at the pain before she rolled to the side as Pearl had jumped to where she was earlier. “Despite being a sorceress, you’ve only attacked once with your magic,” Pearl sniped as Peridot got up. “You should count better,” Peridot said tiredly, “I’ve used it twice.” 

Immediately after that, the alpha jumped at Pearl, eyes glowing green. Pearl placed a foot behind her to steady herself before she thrusted her spear forwards, stabbing the alpha in the chest. She then brought the spear down, slamming the wolf’s head into the rocky ground, immediately killing it. However, since her back was facing Peridot, Pearl didn’t see the sorceress pull her clenched hand back. The spear was pulled backwards, causing Pearl to lose her footing and fall towards the ground. She went unconscious when her head hit the rocky ground. 

A loud yowl was heard, causing everyone to face the animals fighting. The cougar had been thrown to the ground and crushed by the monster’s right hind leg. The bear, whose eyes no longer glowed blue, stopped before the monster clawed its face. The bear roared, going onto its hind legs and began to repeatedly scratch the monster’s head. 

Peridot was thrown to the ground as she was kicked in the back. The foot then planted itself into Peridot’s back, pinning her to the ground. “Enough! You are defeated,” Garnet said as Amethyst walked towards the cave. Garnet reached down to touch Peridot’s temples to render her unconscious, however, she was thrown off of Peridot when the cougar’s body hit her. Peridot then used Garnet’s discarded gauntlet and sent it flying towards Amethyst, who jumped out of the way as the gauntlet buried itself into the ground. “Oh great,” Amethyst muttered as she pulled out her other whip and stepped away from Lapis. “C’mon, Greenie. I want to go home and sleep.”

The monster, meanwhile, managed to pin the bear to the ground before ripping its throat apart. It then let out a loud victorious roar, that interrupted Amethyst’s and Peridot’s fight, before limping its way to Peridot when a new pain occurred. It looked at its side and saw a war axe embedded in its flank. 

Amethyst’s whip snapped, almost hitting Peridot’s face again. “Stand. Still!” Amethyst shouted as Peridot jumped around. She then saw a small boulder and grinned. Her whip wrapped around the small boulder before she threw it at Peridot, who dodged the attack. ‘How the hell is she that strong!?’ Peridot thought before she dodged another boulder that was thrown at her. “Peridot!” Lapis shouted, causing Peridot to turn around. A mistake she soon found that out when a hand suddenly grabbed her neck and she was hoisted off the ground, staring at Garnet at eye level. Peridot clawed and kicked at the woman’s arm, in any hopes to get free. It was getting harder to breathe and keep her eyes open with every second. Soon enough, Peridot succumbed to unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, a cliffhanger! Bet y’all weren’t expecting that huh?! And this chapter came a bit earlier because I gave myself motivation to finally write this entire chapter in 2 and a half hours! Have fun until the next update!


	8. Surprise Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I LIIIIVVVVVEEEE! After much procrastination I decided to update finally! Anywhoo, I had to make a small change to Prudens spell casting. You'll see it if you go back and read. Now, without further ado, onto the story!

"I thought you said she wouldn't put up much of a fight," Garnet said to Jasper, Amethyst tying an unconscious Peridot up with her whip. "I'm as surprised as you are when I saw her fighting," Jasper said, rubbing her eyes. "She's always in her quarters, writing in that journal of hers." As they spoke, they saw Pearl chaining Lapis up before leading her to Peridot, occasionally tugging on the chain, making the princess stumble forwards.

"We'll set up camp here before returning to Rose tomorrow," Garnet said when the monster roared, putting everyone on edge. Jasper walked to Garnet, who was staring at the monster, and asked, "How did they even manage to tame it? We've tried to, but they don't listen for a damn."

"That's because no one doesn't know how to tame them," Garnet answered as the monstered snapped at Army, who kicked its side. "They don't seem to be in control of it either," Jasper noted as the monster stared at them with its purplish-black eyes. "And you're correct with that statement," Garnet said before the monster snarled at them.

...

Heavy droplets of rain fell from the sky, obscuring Peridot's view of her surroundings. She then heard shouting and yelling. She turned to the left and jumped back when a body fell right in front of her. Looking down at the body, Peridot realized that the body was a soldier that belonged to the White Region. 

"Force him back! We can't fight him!" someone shouted behind Peridot. She turned around and saw rebels running towards her before the ground in front of her rose, blocking the rebel's path to her. "Shit! He's going to kill us! He's going to kill us!" another rebel screamed. 

Peridot got up and walked to the corner of the stone and saw at least eighteen rebels sitting there, weapons shaking as they stared at a figure slowly walking towards them. They wore a white cloak and their hood obscured their face. Peridot took a step back as she felt the hair on her neck rise.

"Keep your wits together!" Peridot assumed it was the leader of this small band of rebels. "We made an oath to fight for everyone's freedom! To live in peace! If we surrender, we will fall back on that oath! Fight for our freedom! For our future!"

The figure stopped walking towards them and chuckled. Peridot felt uneasiness settle across her body from his emotionless chuckling. "Freedom," he said, his voice cold. "You want to die for your freedom?" The rebels stopped shaking as he spoke, listening attentively. "You want your freedom? Modeerf ruoy si htaed ruoy." With a flick if his hand, the rebel leader began coughing. She fell to her knees, dropping her weapon as her next cough drew blood. 

"You- ack!- You are a monster! And the tyranny you protect will fall! Freedom will-" the leader didn't finish his sentence as she threw up her organs. An exasperated sigh came from the hooded man before he continued walking towards the rebels. "Anyone else come prepared with a speech?" he growled, snapping the rebels out of their stupor. They rose their swords in answer as their eyes shined with determination. 

The man was silent as the rebels ran towards him. "Very well then," the man said before he pulled out his falchion. The rebels then began to run at him, a cry of anger escaping their mouths as they advanced. The man casually walked towards them as if he were in a park. When one was close enough, a swift swing of his sword put them down before he kicked the next one into a group, making them stumble. He then pointed his hand at the group of five before making a fist, squeezing it real tight. They erupted in flames, their screams piercing the air. A knife was lodged into the man's back. Painfully cursing, he turned around and kicked the rebel away, taking the knife out of his back. Just as the rebel charged at him, the man threw the knife into the rebel's eye. 

"Etats reporp sti ot flesti smrofer hself ym." His flesh moved to its original state before turning to see the nine more rebels. "I dleiw eht rewop taht semoc morf eht yks!" he shouted before thrusting his hand at them, eyes glowing gray. A gray thunderbolt shot out of his hand hitting one rebel before bouncing off to another. In a matter of seconds, they were all dead, their bodies littering the area. 

Th sorcerer turned around to meet one last rebel, shaking, his trousers darkening between his legs. Sheathing his falchion, he walked towards the rebel who shook even more, raising his sword slightly. With a flick of a hand, the sword was out of the boy's hands. The boy tripped trying to walk back from the sorcerer. He stared up as the hood was lowered to reveal the sorcerer's face. Cold, emotionless gray eyes stared at the boy before a hand was offered to him.

...

Peridot jolted awake from her dream. A kick to her gut made her dry-heave. She looked up to see Army sneering at her before kicking her again. Peridot fell on her side, wheezing, as the Ruby Squad laughed at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a short wheeze. Fear settled in as she tried to say something else, anything, but all that came out were short wheezes. The laughter increased as Peridot curled into a ball, shaking. A hand on her back made Peridot tense even more. The hand froze as well before it began to rub her back. Peridot soon forgot about the hand as she calmed down. 

The calm didn't last when she heard footsteps. She jolted slightly when Lapis removed her hand before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She scoffed at the tears that were absorbed by her jacket. She looked up to see Amethyst jump on a boulder, playing with her whip. Peridot would have growled if it weren't for her damaged throat. 

"Hey, look at that," Amethyst practically shouted, "the witch is awake!" Peridot bristled at that comment, clenching her fists. 

"It doesn't seem like she liked that," Jasper chuckled as Peridot glared at her, her eyes glowing a light green. Pearl, coming from behind, placed the tip of her spear head on the back of Peridot's neck, making the sorceress freeze. "You're powers won't work because of our chains. However, it wouldn't hurt to give a reason to punish you," she purred, removing her spear from Peridot's neck.

Garnet crouched in front of Peridot, her red and blue eyes staring at Peridot's light blue eyes. A small bolt of lightning slapped Peridot in the chest. She convulsed in her spot as Lapis scooted away. Everyone heard her heavy breathing. Garnet got up and placed a foot on Peridot's leg. She let out a small sound as she went rigid. Garnet then pushed down on her leg, watching as Peridot tried to get Garnet off of her. 

"I won't get off unless you tell me the information that we want," Garnet said, pushing down. Peridot arched her back, letting out a soundless scream. 

"She can't talk! Can't you see she can't talk!" Lapis shouted, tugging against her chains as she stood up. 

"This doesn't concern you," Jasper said before shoving her back to the ground.

Unbeknownst to them all, the monster was growling at them all, its black spit falling from its lips before it began to howl. The howl was terrifying and shook everyone's bones. Everyone turned to Peridot before Jasper grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and lifted her. "What did you do?" she growled, spittle flying onto Peridot, who was pathetically shaking her head, tears streaming down her face. Jasper shook Peridot a little before repeating herself. "What did you do?!"

Peridot shook her head repeatedly before Jasper roughly threw her onto the ground. The monster began to howl once more, making Jasper snarl at it. It snarled back and snapped at her, moving forwards a bit. Jasper unsheathed her battle axe from her back before she swung. The monster's yelp was cut off as its head fell, rolling away. The stump of where the head originally was spewed out black blood. 

"Now that shouldn't draw us any unwanted attention," Jasper said as she walked back towards them. She groaned when she saw Lapis throwing up and Peridot looking paler than usual, staring at the monster's head. 

"Was that really necessary?" Pearl asked with a small frown as the spewing blood slightly slowed down. 

"Hey, you want to deal with a pack of these fucking things? They're annoying as hell to put down, nonetheless to catch the!" Jasper exclaimed before three separate, distant screeches were heard. "I knew we should have killed it immediately!" 

They then heard the sounds of wings and looked up to see three of the flying monsters circling them. "Oh great, these things," Amethyst growled as she pulled out a second whip. 

Pearl, who had been examining the monsters, realized something. "They're not flying of their free will." 

No sooner had she said that, a fireball was sent down as the three monsters dived, revealing the riders, different colored fireballs in their hands. 

"Damnit Orion! We were supposed to be discreet!" one of the riders exclaimed as they sent a blue fireball at the rebels, making them jump out of the way. Peridot, who had been near the impact zone, let out a wheeze as heat touched her body. Peridot rolled away from the blue flames before she looked up and saw Lapis backing away from the flames that were circling her. Peridot groaned before she got up and ran to Lapis, the heat pushing against her. 

Using the ambush to her advantage, Pridot grabbed Lapis's chain and ran out of there. Just when they thought they were free, one of the monsters landed before them, the rider looking at them menacingly, despite looking quite battered. 

"If you don't get on, I'll force you on," he growled. An arrow flew past them and they saw Pearl, her staff transformed into a bow. "Now!" the rider growled, a hand extended. Just when they were about to board the monster, another monster swooped down and snatched Peridot, talons digging into her shoulders, making her hiss loudly.

"Damnit Orion!" the rider with Lapis shouted before dodging another arrow. "Hold tight, Princess. This is going to be very, very bumpy." Lapis grabbed the hand and was helped to sit on the creature. As soon as she was properly seated, the monster began to extend its wings. A pained screech was heard and the rider and Lapis looked up to see the third monster get its head cut off with a swing of Jasper's axe. The rider was wrapped in one of Amethyst's whips, slumped over. 

"Fuck," the rider said as they began to lift off the ground. They jerked abruptly as something hit the monster, making it screech in pain. Lapis looked at the monster's side and saw the axe embedded in its skin. 

"Fuck! No no no! Shit!" the rider screamed before they crashed into a tree, throwing them off the beast. After Lapis had been thrown off, she rolled across the ground three times before coming to a stop. Everything hurt and she couldn't think as a distant scream was heard, so she curled in on herself, groaning in pain.

The rider, meanwhile, had landed on a boulder and landed on his arm weirdly, breaking it. He screamed, rolling on his throbbing back. When he opened his eyes, he looked up to see Garnet standing over him. His hand went to his knife at his belt, but Garnet was faster and kicked him in the head, rendering him unconscious. 

Garnet heard a groan and looked to the right to see Lapis curled on the ground. Garnet picked her up, ignoring how Lapis went rigid and dragged the rider by his foot, making sure she went through the rockier area.

...

Peridot gasped every time the monster flapped its wings, the talons sinking into her shoulders before coming out again. From the way it was holding her, she looked like a kitten being carried by its mother. She looked up when she felt her weight shift and saw that they were heading into a cave. When they got close, the monster released its hold on Peridot. She would have screamed if she could, but all that came out was a wheeze before she landed on the stone. A crack from her leg was heard and she let out a squeak as her leg exploded into pain. 

The rider landed the monster before hopping off. He then stalked towards Peridot and grabbed her by the chains and walked a bit deeper into the cave where there was a sickly blue goblet lying in the center. He then shoved Peridot by the goblet and said, "Snedurp ot kaeps ot hsiw I." 

A black flame appeared from the goblet. It was silent for a few moments before they heard a voice. To Peridot, it sounded patient, gruff, and wise.

"Orion. Have you completed the mission?" the goblet spoke, the flame flickering as a shiver went up Peridot's spine. 

"The prisoner has been extracted, Prudens," Orion said, looking bored. There was a pause before Prudens asked, an edge entering his voice, "Prisoner? What happened?"

"We only captured the Sorceress," Orion said, an edge entering his voice too. There was silence before Orion added, "Look, what matters most is that we got the one that mattered." 

The room suddenly felt cold, another shiver making its way up Peridot's back. Orion didn't know about the temperature change as he said, "Prudens? You there?" 

Behind him, a dark spot appeared, growing before a hand erupted from it, throwing shadowed mist around. A man pulled himself from the small circle and then rolled his shoulders before quietly moving to Orion, who was still calling Prudens. The man stopped behind Orion, looking casual and tired before Orion turned around and stumbled backwards. He let out a curse as he tripped over the goblet as the man walked towards him. 

"The mission," Prudens said in a cold voice that made Peridot shiver, forgetting about the pain in her leg, "was to extract the prisoners, my favorite pet, all the while undetected."

Orion stood to his feet, no longer looking as arrogant than before. He opened his mouth to speak, but Prudens continued his, voice rising with each word. "You only extracted one prisoner, my pet was killed, and you brought unwanted attention to yourselves! Not only that, you let your team get captured!" 

"Sir, I understand, it won't happen again," Orion apologized, looking timid and scared as he began to pick at his hands. He froze immediately when Prudens placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm certain it won't happen again," he said before walking towards Peridot, who had begun to shake, tears welling in her eyes. "Goodbye, Orion." 

Orion lifted a hand and stepped towards Prudens when he felt himself getting hotter. His eyes widened as he began to smoke. "Wait, no-" he interrupted himself with his own scream as he began to burst into blackish purple flames. A few seconds later and Orion was just a smoking pile on the ground.


	9. Surprise

"Apologies for my... insubordinate," Prudens said, wiping his hand on his robe. Peridot, in a near catatonic state, stared at him, shaking. He wore a wrinkled, black cloak, that almost concealed his body, excluding half of his shin and and knee high boots. His wrinkled shirt, which was extremely baggy and thick, were tucked into his equally wrinkled pants. Black was the only color of his attire. His face was a tan bronze and looked worn. The bags under his gray eyes accented his worn face. His graying black hair was long enough to touch his shoulders and was extremely wild, going in every which direction. Finally, his beard, also a graying black, looked to be the only thing on him that looked nice and neat.  
Although short, the beard was long enough for Peridot to have trouble finding his skin.

"Delaeh era detcilfni seirujni lla," he then said, his palm aimed towards Peridot. Almost immediately, Peridot began to feel warm as the pain disappeared from her body. When her body was done healing, Peridot looked to Prudens to thank him, but he only nodded at her. A hand was extended towards her and Peridot watched as a small, blackish purple flame erupt from his hand. Instinctively, Peridot rose her hands in defense as the small flame erupted into a large explosion.

...

Lapis was tired of being captured. It terrified her to hell, but it annoyed her as well. Captured once again under the moonlight as the fire beside her crackled and danced. She flinched when her leg was prodded by Amethyst. Lapis shuffled as far away as she could from the warrior, but it didn't do much because she kept coming closer. 

"Listen, we're not going to do anything to you," Amethyst said, her face slightly edged with concern. Her sentence was punctuated by a scream that came from one of the riders. Amethyst smiled, her lips pressed tightly together. "Li- like I said, nothing to you," she repeated, slightly embarrassed. Lapis saw something move behind Amethyst and saw Pearl staring at her, face devoid of emotion.

"I doubt that," Lapis quietly said before she turned away from Amethyst, who frowned before leaving the princess. Lapis took a deep breath before lying on the cold ground and tried to fall asleep. 

...

A large fist could easily be mistaken for a club. A fist, however, meant that there was another waiting nearby. Regulus seemed to keep forgetting about it and threw up once again when said second fist hit his stomach. He coughed when he was done emptying whatever remained in his stomach, his shackles shaking as he did so. 

A large hand grabbed the top of his head and forced him to look up at Jasper. "Where did the other go?!" she shouted, tightening her grip on Regulus's head. 

"I. Don't. Know!" he growled, the pain spreading like a wildfire throughout his head.

The pressure on his head was lifted and he relaxed for a second before a punch at his arm broke it. He screamed in pain, writhing on the ground after Jasper had shoved him into the ground. 

"Ok, let's try this," Jasper said, placing a foot on his leg. "Who sent you?" Regulus only shook his head, causing Jasper to push her weight onto his leg. He gasped in more pain as he wiggled about, trying to get Jasper off of him. "Who sent you," Jasper growled out, putting more of her weight onto him. Regulus shook his head again. A bout of rage filled Jasper before she just stomped on the leg, breaking it and making Regulus scream in pain. 

...

Peridot expected to feel the pain. She expected to be dead. But all she felt was warmth before it disappeared and how her wrists felt lighter. Peridot slowly opened her eyes and saw that the shackles were at her feet, a fading light blue hue surrounding it. 

"No thanks are needed," Prudens said as he walked out of the cave, the goblet in one hand. "Emoh nruter," he said to the flying monster. It growled before leaving, eyeing Peridot on the way out. 

"How did you find us?" Peridot asked, making Prudens stop walking away. He turned towards the sorceress and saw her hesitation and caution. "I have eyes everywhere," he simply stated before continuing his walk out of the cave entrance. Peridot blinked at that comment. "That didn't answer anything."

A snort came from Prudens as he rubbed his temples, his eyes glowing. Peridot took a step back when she saw his eyes. Two purple dots, surrounded by a sea of black. She had never seen anything like it and it unnerved her. He blinked and his eyes were gray once more. 

"The shadows," Prudens said, making Peridot perk up an eyebrow as her hands twitched. "They're like windows that I can see out of." 

"Amazing," Peridot said as Prudens casted her a glance before looking away again. "Hguorht kool ot wodniw ym won era yeht, dnammoc ym ni swodahs eht htiw," he chanted with his arms raised, his spell foreign to Peridot's ears as his eyes went back to purple dots surrounded by black. A black circle appeared before them before it began to form shapes. Peridot leaned forward to get a better look but froze when a hand was placed on her shoulder. 

"Don't get too close or you'll end up falling through," he said as he lightly pulled her back. "It's an unpleasant feeling for the first time." Peridot nodded stiffly before turning to see the monster that had rescued her and the princess. Prudens clicked his tongue as his the bags under his eyes seemed more prominent. "They just had to kill Woofles, didn't they," he said, a sad tone in his voice. "He acted a lot like a puppy if you gave him enough attention." Peridot felt awkward as the sorcerer mourned before placing a hand on the circle and sliding it across. They watched as he changed the scenery to the rebel's camp. 

They heard someone scream in pain, making Peridot jolt back slightly. She clenched her fists as her face warmed, slightly embarrassed. Prudens pretended not to notice as his eyes narrowed at the scream. They were then looking at a man that was writhing on a ground before he was kicked, letting out a wheeze. Prudens eyed Jasper, his face thoughtful before he looked at the man. A frown etched its way onto the sorcerer's face. He moved the scenery to where the next rider was. She was tied against a tree as Pearl stood over her, kicking her. 

"Poor Ridley. A competent mixed with fools," Prudens muttered as Pearl crouched in front of Ridley. 

"Who sent you?" she asked, her voice icy and impatient. Peridot heard Prudens mutter "bird," but decided not to comment on it. Ridley sat up, getting ready to spit at Pearl when a blade was placed against her mouth. "Very well then," Pearl said before indicating to Garnet to come over. 

"She's being uncooperative," Pearl stated before Garnet walked to Ridley. Garnet placed a hand on her shin, electricity dancing on her palm. Ridley spazzed out, unable to scream as her eyes went cross eyed until Garnet removed her hand. "She's going to be sensitive," Garnet said as Pearl stabbed Ridley in her side with her spear, making her scream. Prudens changed the scenery, though Peridot could see that he was clenching his teeth.

They saw Lapis shaking on the ground as Amethyst slept beside her, snoring. Prudens blinked at Amethyst's method of "watching" Lapis before he shook his head. 

"We need to save her," Peridot said, pointing at the princess. "She needs to be rescued since she is Azula's heir." Prudens's eye twitched before he nodded and sent the circle away. "Please stay where you are," Prudens ordered, his voice cold as his eyes began to glow. 

"Ereh detropsnart eb ot era Draw Suluger dna, Ainmu Yeldir, Iluzal Sipal," he said, three identical portals appearing in the cave room. For a second, nothing happened before the three prisoners were lowered from the portals by a black mist. Once they were out, Prudens lowered his hands as his eyes went back to their original color. The portals disappeared as well.

Peridot watched as the three got up. Lapis was the first to rise before jumping back, her eyes filled with fear. Ridley and Regulus were still lying on the ground, gagging and shivering. Prudens rose his hand towards the riders, eyes glowing gray. They visibly relaxed as their wounds were healed. His hand then aimed towards Lapis, giving her the same treatment. After that, he lowered his hand and turned towards the riders. He reached into his cloak and pulled out two sacks that chimed. 

"For your services," Prudens said, nodding slightly at them before opening another portal. The riders, who already took the sacks, were about to jump into the portal, but Regulus stopped. 

"Where... where is Orion?" he asked, his voice slightly trembling. Prudens sighed before he slowly moved his hands around in a synchronized pattern. They watched as the ashes were lifted from the ground and from themselves before being put into the goblet. They heard a loud crack and watched as a piece of the cave wall was used as a lid for the goblet. 

Prudens pointed towards Regulus and the goblet placed itself into his hand. "Orion would have caused trouble for the both of us if he continued to live," Prudens said, remorse not evident in his voice. "Now then. Farewell and give my greetings to your village."

The two riders glanced at each other before nodding at Prudens and walking into the portal. Prudens lowered his hand before facing the sorcerer and princess. 

"Now then," he said, rubbing his eyes in a tired manner, "why would the sorceress of Aurelia and the daughter of Azula be traversing with the 'Crystal Gems'?"

...

"They couldn't have just disappeared!" Pearl shouted. 

"Better believe it," Jasper said as she stared at the areas where their prisoners were. While the grass and trees were living and breathtaking, the spot where the prisoners were originally were now dead spots, ruining the beauty. The grass, once a lovely dark green now looked black and dead.

"The only things that can do this are the corrupted," Garnet stated as she too stared at the dead spots.   
"But the corrupted are there physically. There are no prints of any corrupted coming through here. It just... appeared. Then vanished, taking the prisoners," Amethyst added, making everyone even more tense. 

"What if the sorcerer captured them?" navy said, her eyes wide, but empty. Movement (and noise) ceased at the question. "Then nothing good is going to happen," Garnet stated darkly.

...

"I WILL DESTROY THEM! I WILL CRUSH THEM INTO THE GROUND THAT I WALK UPON!" Azula screamed in rage, tears streaming down her face. Everyone around her was on the ground, tears streaming down their faces as well. 

"Azula, you're crying fit won't help you find her," Aurelia said, her eyes watering. "I'll issue a search party for her." Azula just lowered herself to the ground, her sobs shaking her shoulders. 

"Azula, if you want to really find her, send out your sorceress. In turn, I'll send her with a... guard of sorts," Aurelia said, as she got up from her chair, leaving the grieving queen alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like this chapter. I hated writing this chapter. But, due to procrastination and laziness, I've decided to write this chapter. I hope y'all are enjoying the story, up until this chapter.


	10. Reconcile

"Come then, Topazes," a peppy voice said, barely heard by the pair of footsteps accompanying it. "We have a princess and a sorceress to capture."

...

To state the fact that Rose wasn't pleased would be correct. However, unlike her "sisters"-in-arms, she was rational and calm to still talk about the matter. "And they just disappeared? No trace?" she asked, incredulous. 

"The only thing that made it believable were the dead patches," Garnet clarified, Pearl's fingers nervously tapping her spearhead. Rose merely nodded, in thought. "You said there were people riding the corruptions?" she then asked, remembering how Peridot and Lapis had left. 

"Correct," Pearl nervously confirmed, her voice cracking. Rose was quiet before she got up from her throne. "Pearl, go to the prisoner's room. There should be blue cloth on the the ground. Garnet, prepare the gnikcart spell," she said as she pulled the sword off of the wall. 

"Yes Rose!" her captains shouted before going off to do as they were ordered. Rose then turned to Amethyst and said, "Go tell the priests that 'darkness is rising as the sun is setting.'" Amethyst rose an eyebrow at the statement but nodded before shifting into a puma and running into the town. 

...

"Now that we're somewhere a bit more... appropriate," Prudens said as he sat down in a chair, "please explain to me why y'all were in the Crystal Gems' 'good' hands?" They had just transported through Prudens portals into his... home. It was really just a cave that had a door, walls, and things houses had. 

Both princess and sorceress were quiet before a black cat jumped at Prudens' face. "Gah! Damnit! No!" Prudens shouted as he leaned to far back into his chair. It tipped over and both cat and sorcerer fell back. 

"Damn you, Micah. Damn you," they heard Prudens say tiredly as the cat sauntered out lazily. Lapis let out a giggle at the scene, making Prudens poke his head above the chair, a scowl, with no bite in it, on his face. "Nice to see that amused you," Prudens said as he got up. 

"They took me by surprise, taking advantage of what I thought was a safe haven. They interrogated me later," Peridot stated, her voice slightly trembling. The humor in the air from the previous event was lost. Lapis folded her arms, and hugged herself as she recalled the events as to why she was here. "The one called Pearl kidnapped me from my region," Lapis said, her voice soft. Prudens, who had gotten up, nodded, his face somber.

"It is my sincere condolences for the both of you," he said as he straightened his posture, "however, I still want to know something." The two looked at him, expectantly.

"Why were you even out of your safe zones?" he asked, sitting back down in the chair. Peridot clenched her teeth as Lapis said, slightly blushing, "I was just... walking around town." Prudens stared at her, his gaze showing no emotion as her blush slightly grew. He then turned to Peridot and stared at her as she began to wring her gloved hands. "I was... ordered to 'bring' you back," she said, now squeezing her hands together. Tension filled the air as Peridot stared at her feet. The tension left as Prudens laughed.

"Bring-bring me back! That's-that's too much!" he exclaimed as he leaned back into the chair again (more carefully this time). He wiped the tears from his eyes as his laughter settled down. "Peridot," he said with a hint of humor, "no offense, but if they can't 'bring' me back themselves, you can't." Peridot was about to protest until she remembered who he was. She then felt something pat her leg and looked down and saw Micah, the black cat that jumped at Prudens's face. 

"How would you know that?" Lapis asked, her brow raised. "You served the Diamonds. You followed their rules and just did what they said. How do you know you're stronger than them?" Prudens stared at her before he let a grin slide onto his face. The smile resembled a predator's.

"I am, oh so much, stronger than the Diamonds," Prudens said, as he stalked towards them. They stepped away as his grin seemed to grow. "The Diamonds wish they could be as powerful as me! That is why they haven't come looking for me for over 2,000 years!" An aura emitted from him that left the two frozen in fear. Fear of what he could do next. 

"Meow!"

Everyone's attention went to the black cat, the aura disappearing instantly. "Fine! I'll feed you you little shit," Prudens said, humor evident in his "annoyance." Prudens waved his hand and two thuds were heard. "There. Food," he said, waving his hand away. Micah just stared at him before running to the thuds. 

In place of the fear-freezing aura was tension as Peridot and Lapis stared at him cautiously. He took a deep breath before he sincerely said, "My apologies for my arrogance." He gave them a little bow, a hand on his chest. "People... aren't really my strong suit."

They visibly relaxed, but were still cautious. 

Peridot looked over Prudens's house once more before she blurted, "How do you live in such a mess?" A blush immediately sprawled onto her face, hands clapping over her mouth. Prudens rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around. He swiped his hand through the air and immediately, the mess began to clean itself. "I've gotten used to it," Prudens said, awkwardly before slapping the his head. "Shit! Y'all eat!" he exclaimed before he ran out of the room, leaving them alone, perturbed. 

Peridot turned to Lapis and said, "I'm sorry you were captured. On the way back, I will help you back to your region before bringing Prudens to Aurelia." Lapis looked at her wearily before she looked away. "There's no need to be apologetic. Besides, he won't just go back because of your mission," she answered, her voice soft as she hugged herself. 

Unbeknownst to them, Prudens was smiling as he held their trays of food. 'Oh how wrong you are, Lapis,' he thought before walking into the room and having a black mass launch itself at his face once again.

...

"Bring out the wards," a man in white robes ordered, leaning on a staff with a golden star on the tip of it. "I do not wish to anger the gods because of negligence." He then looked up at the glass mural that showed four figures, hands outstretched at a dark purple mass. "I refuse for the darkness to overcome this land again."

...

"Htiw siht cirbaf, ew kcart sti renwo," Rose said, her eyes glowing pink before she blinked. A compass lied in her hands as she casted the spell. Before her spell, the compass had been pointing North. Now, it was pointing Southeast. She smiled softly before she saw Steven right beside her, stars in his eyes as he watched her. A smirk grew on her face as she said, "Amethyst, I thought you were keeping guard."

"I was Rose," Amethyst said, walking in, "but you can't say no to those puppy eyes! Ask Garnet!" Rose looked at Garnet who cooly said, "No one survives his puppy eyes." 

"Steven, why didn't you knock? We could have been doing something dangerous," Pearl scolded lightly, but Steven smiled at her. "Oh, don't worry! I asked Garnet and Amethyst before coming in!" he said purely as Pearl stared at Garnet and Amethyst who simply mouthed the word "eyes." Rose chuckled at them before staring at Steven. "You really love magic, huh?" she asked, her smile growing. "Yeah! It looks so cool and awesome!" Steven exclaimed enthusiastically. "Well, how about I show you another spell?" she offered, earning excited nodding from the boy.

"Listen now," she said, as she placed her hands together. "We call this spell dleihs and it covers your body in magical armor." An awestruck noise left Steven's mouth as Rose she was then covered in a pink aura. "When you grow more experienced, you can even summon shields in your hands." Two circular shields appeared from her hands, both pink and had Roses symbol on them- a thorny, light pink spiral that entered a rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Bet y'all weren't expecting anything soon, huh? Well, look who's in the wrong and (hopefully) enjoying this story. Sorry for the short chapter, but I didn't know how to add more to this. Also *slams fist on desk* SPINEL IS BABY AND DESERVES LOVES, CUDDLES, AND LOVES!!!


	11. Blue Moon

Despite the state of Prudens's "house", his cooking was edible. Peridot and Lapis gratefully ate their food in the "dining room" after giving their thanks to the old sorcerer. As they ate, Prudens had walked away, leaving Micah with them as they ate, who occasionally jumped onto their laps and stared directly at the food. 

They flinched when their surroundings shook and a loud bang was heard. Prudens came into view, holding a gray sphere that was slightly bigger than his hand. 

"Don't worry about me, I just made the room for you two," he said, as he put the sphere down.

"Why, exactly are we here?" Peridot suddenly asked, a small blush on her face. Prudens rose an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

Peridot sighed, bringing a hand down her face. "You paid riders to bring us to you," she said, earning a nod from Prudens. "What are you planning and what does it have to do with us?" 

Prudens was quiet as an emotionless expression masked his face. He was quiet for a while, Peridot's patience lowering each second. "My plan is something that I can't share for reasons I'm not going to explain," he said, voice low, "but right now, my plan involves us sleeping. You two were just taken prisoner and being a prisoner takes a lot out of you. I mean, just look at you two!"

Peridot looked over at Lapis and realized how much of a mess she looked. She winced when she thought of what she looked like as Lapis stared at her. 

...

The darkness of the night was ruined by the beautiful rays the moon sent down, allowing enough light to see the surroundings. Usually, nighttime was quiet, the gentle breeze of the wind being the only sound heard throughout the night. This time, the calm quiet was pierced by sobbing, taunting, and the sounds of running. The child that was crying was desperate, her body controlled by fear. The woman who was chasing the girl ran calmly, her posture straight as she taunted the girl. She was a soldier for Rose that was ridiculed and criticized by the town folk behind her back.

"Keep on running! You're punishment is only worsening!" the woman said with a sharp laugh as she quickly caught up to the girl. She grabbed the girl by her shoulder and yanked her back. The girl yelped as she fell down as the woman looked down at her. She was about to say something when a bright green light erupted from the girl, sending the soldier to the ground. The girl was dumbfounded before she got up and ran, turning the corner in hopes of losing the soldier.

The woman got up, dazed before she shook her head and ran after her, turning the corner before coming to a stop when she saw that the girl was sitting on the ground before a figure in the road that was placing a black cat on the ground, ignorant of cat's protests. His black clothing helped keep his face hidden among the shadows. The hood tilted up at the woman, a shiver going up her spine as gray eyes shined from within the hood. 

"Apatite Cozbi," he drawled, his voice low and menacing. "Soldier of Rose Quartz. Rebel of the Diamond Authority." He stepped in front of the girl, her sobs silent as she hugged the black cat to her. Apatite drew out her swords, both curved and menacing. "And who are you?" she growled, her grip tight on her blades. The man stared at her, eyes still glowing gray. 

"My name means nothing to the dead," he simply said. 

Apatite let out a shout as she rushed forward before she slammed into something. She then felt the air leave her lungs as rocks constricted her body except for her head. 

"Then again," the man said, making Apatite stop her struggling. "It would be rude of me to not give you my name." He pulled his hood back as he stepped towards her, his glowing gray eyes boring into hers. "I am Prudens."

Dread filled her body as Apatite remembered the stories that held his name. "It is amazing how you proclaim to fight for peace when you spread terror and chaos elsewhere," he growled as he sauntered towards her, "especially when you are a rebel fighting for freedom." 

"The only peace I bring is the end of a battle," Apatite spat at Prudens. He chuckled. The chuckle was dark and low, sending warnings throughout Apatite that she shouldn't continue. "Funny, how that was my purpose in the last war."

He then turned his back on her, the bottom of his cloak hitting her in the face. "It appears that it is still my purpose." He walked towards the girl, who was now getting her face licked by Micah as she cuddled him. Prudens's eyes glowed purple as he began to summon a portal. Apatite's eyes widened at the foreign tongue until she saw the cat jump into it, quickly followed by the girl, now smiling, chasing after it. 

"Hey! You can't just leave me here! It'll take forever for me to get out of here," Apatite shouted just when it looked like Prudens was about to jump in.

"If it weren't for the fact that the girl was there, I would have killed you," Prudens said, making Apatite hold her breath. Dark veins appeared on his neck as his eyes were now glowing purple. "Don't worry," he finally said, "they won't have trouble breaking through the rocks to free you." Apatite let out a breath of relief as she relaxed in her rocky coffin.

"At least... what's left of you," Prudens suddenly said before he and the portal disappeared, making the dirt look dead and dry. 

Apatite went rigid as her coffin began to tighten around her body. She screamed. She screamed for help as the air was pushed out of her. She continued to scream as the rock continued to constrict her until her airway was blocked.

The parade for the town's anniversary was set off for next week due to the untimely and messy death. 

...

Peridot didn't get a wink of sleep last night. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. She never could, especially when in an unknown place. Lapis, however, did not have this problem. Another reason why Peridot couldn't sleep. Lapis snored. Just when Peridot thought she would doze off, a snore erupted from the other side of the room. She probably looked worse than yesterday. 

She was drooped over the table when Prudens entered the room. She got up and gripped his clothes. "Please, give me a room for myself," she said, weakly. Prudens only raised an eyebrow as a face of a young girl appeared from behind him. A loud snore was heard before understanding entered his face. He reached into his coat and pulled out a flask that contained a brown liquid. "Here, this should recover your energy for today," he said as Peridot gratefully took it and began to down it. 

The girl giggled at Peridot, who didn't care until Prudens snatched the bottle from her grasp. "You just needed a sip," he said, humor in his voice as a light smirk was etched across his face. The girl giggled again as Peridot groaned, trying to snatch the potion back. She went quiet as Peridot looked at her with her tired eyes. 

Peridot's eyes widened before she said, "I remember you. You were that girl from the Blue Region." The girl's eyes widened in recognition as she remembered the gratitude of the sorceress. "How are you in the Pink Region?" Peridot asked, curiosity filling her face. The girl looked down, scraping her feet on the ground before she said, in a scratchy voice. 

"I... don't remember."

Confusion replaced Peridot's face as Prudens's face went grim and sympathetic. A meow was heard and the girl's face brightened as she went to find Micah. 

"Her name is Spinel. She was running from rebels," Prudens said, keeping his voice low. "They must have kidnapped her the day you entered the Pink Region."

"That's... impossible. I casted a charm on her that would protect her from harm," Peridot muttered, thinking as she examined Spinel. She had messy, puffed up pig tails. Her face had dirt on it and her clothes were incredibly dirty, as if she rolled around in the dirt. "So that's what that burst was," Prudens muttered to himself before saying, "Charms can only detect threats. She must have trusted the soldiers until that soldier went rogue, trying to harm her." 

Peridot considered this, nodding her head as they stared at Spinel who was playing with Micah. They heard a groan and turned around to see Lapis trudging towards them, her hair a mess. Prudens offered the flask towards her, which she took a sip from before Prudens took it back, wiping the mouth of his flask with his cloak. He then took two swigs from it before putting it in his pocket. 

"Why do you get more than 'a sip'" Peridot accused, eyes narrowed. Prudents smirked before he said, "Because it's mine." Spinel erupted in giggles at them. 

"Wait, since when was there a girl?" Lapis asked, still sounding drowsy and drunk. Spinel erupted in laughter.

...

"The... the Darkness won't travel here, will it, Father Gage?" a young boy asked nervously in his brown robes. Father Gage was quiet, before he asked, "Is this because of the recent death of the soldier?" 

The boy nodded, paranoia in his eyes. 

"Wipe the fear from yourself, boy. The Darkness will not harm us, for we are prepared to fight against it," Father Gage said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "And do not forget your faith in the gods. Your faith is your connection to the gods, protecting you and giving you fortunes."

The boy nodded, less paranoid than before. "Thank you, Father," he said gratefully. Father Gage only nodded, dismissing his disciple. 

...

"Amazing Steven!" Rose exclaimed as Steven summoned his shield. The praised boy smiled wider before he changed the size of the shield, straining a little. Rose was about to stop him when the door slammed open, revealing a huffing soldier.  Startled, Steven dropped his focus and the shield went ricocheting around the room.

"My Diam- GAH!" she exclaimed as Steven's shield hit them, stopping the shield. Rose and Steven winced as the soldier went down. "Oh, my bad!" Steven said, worry etched on his face as he helped the soldier back up. "Thank you, Steven," the soldier said before turning to Rose. "I have news from Father Gage."

Roses face went serious before she turned to Steven. "We'll continue practicing your magic later. Your father should be here. Maybe you could ask him to teach you a spell?" she said, her face warm and friendly. 

"Okay, Mom! See you later!" he said as he hopped out of the room, excitement radiating off of him. 

Rose smiled at his antics before she turned towards the soldier. "What does Father Gage want?" she asked wearily. The soldier withdrew a piece of paper and said, "He claims that the Darkness has entered his town, murdering Apatite Cozbi in the middle of the town. He requests aid by tomorrow."

Rose's eyes widened before she said, "Father Gage will get his warriors. My captains and I will come to help him fight off Prudens." She turned to a window and stared out of it. "We will get rid of another player so our plans are not in jeopardy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:GASP! I UPDATED! I bet y'all thought I was joking when I exclaimed how I could add Spinel to the story. It's funny, cause when I wrote about the girl, I didn't really know how I was going to add her in the future, but then after watching the Steven Universe Movie, I knew exactly what to do. Amazing how things can work out like that. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed and comment/PM me in case you want anything cleared up. Ciao!


	12. Mistakes

"... Do you really believe Father Gage's statement?" Pearl hesitantly asked Rose, who was watching Steven chase after a butterfly. His pony walked beside Rose's horse. 

"No," Rose stiffly said, turning to face Pearl, "but we can't risk anything, especially if it involves Prudens." Garnet, who was ahead of them, only hummed as Amethyst, in the form of a purple cat, lied on her shoulders. Steven let out an "oof" as he fell on strawberries. 

"I'm okay!" he exclaimed as he got up, mushed up strawberries on his face. He began screaming, however, when a flutter of butterflies flew towards his face. Everyone laughed at Steven's shenanigans, excluding Steven for... obvious reasons. 

...

"Y'all stink," Prudens said, his nose wrinkled. "And the state of your clothes look like they'll just shred if they get tugged slightly." Lapis and Peridot stared at him before Peridot said, "You live in a cave and you've worn the same clothes since we've met." Spinel giggled at the ridiculous conversation.

"I don't stink, besides living in a cave, because I bathe. Also, I clean and repair my clothes," Prudens countered, leaning into his chair. He raised an eyebrow at them as if to say Dare to counter against my facts? 

When they didn't say anything, Prudens lifted up his hand and waved it towards them. Two pairs of clothes were thrown at them. "There's a pond past your rooms. That's where you can bathe," Prudens stated as he took a sip from his flask. Nobody saw Spinel eyeing the flask, curiosity dancing in her eyes. 

"How do you know our sizes?" Peridot asked, eyebrow raised. Prudens placed the flask on the table before he said, "There's a reason I was Biannca's personal mage. Now onwards. Bathe yourselves. I plan on heading out so we can buy things we need." 

As Lapis and Peridot left the room, Prudens looked at the newspaper of how the festival of the town Evol was being moved to tomorrow. He smiled and went to grab his flask. He frowned when he grabbed air. He looked up and saw that the flask wasn't on the table. He checked his pockets to see if that's where he put it before freezing when he heard a loud slurp from behind him. He saw Micah walk out the room from the corner of his eye.

"Kcuf."

...

"It's... so beautiful," Peridot muttered as she and Lapis walked into the room. The pond was still and quiet as blue orbs of light floated around the room. Lapis had stars in her eyes as she looked at the water eagerly. 

Peridot frowned when she realized that there were no walls that she could hide behind as she bathed. She heard something enter the water and turned around to see Lapis's clothes, discarded on the ground. Her cheeks went pink as she clenched her fists as Lapis swam to the center of the pond. 

Peridot then felt something rub against her leg and looked down to see Micah staring at her. Beside him was a bowl, bearing a strange goo, and what appeared to be two towels.

"Wow, thanks," Peridot said as she scratched the cat on the head. Micah leaned into it, purring loudly. Peridot's blush had disappeared when she lifted her hand, making Micah look up at her, eyes wide as if begging for more. Peridot almost went down to pet him again when Micah hissed to the right of Peridot and ran from the room.

"I guess he hates water," Lapis said, suddenly beside her. Peridot's blush came back, doubling in intensity as she stuttered, "I-It wo-would app-appear so." 

It was quiet before Lapis asked, "You know if you don't bathe, he's probably going to embarrass you." Peridot's face twitched before she nodded quickly. Mechanically, she walked away from Lapis as she began to remove her clothes, save for her gloves. 

Lapis, meanwhile, picked up the bowl and began to spread the goo across herself before putting some of it in her hair. She placed the bowl toward the edge of the pond before holding her breath and going underwater and rubbing her hair furiously. She came back up and rubbed her eyes before opening them and seeing Peridot. Lapis gasped as she brought her hands to her mouth. 

Peridot froze, goo sliding out of her hand as a blush appeared on her face. All across her body were Lichtenburg figures that. Her back was the worst, whip scars littered her back and a large Lichtenburg figure that seemed to spread from the center of her back. Peridot clenched her fists, not in embarrassment, but in anger and humility. 

'Of course. She'll share my punishment with Prudens and he'll throw me out. He'll throw me out knowing that I can't follow SIMPLE ORDERS!'

"I-" Lapis began before being cut off by Peridot.

"Don't," Peridot snapped before her eyes widened. "I- I mean, please don't. I do not wish to talk about it. Please... don't share this with anyone." She then went under the water. 

...

As Peridot and Lapis finished bathing, a tense quiet was placed upon them, neither looking at the other as one face held humility and the other held sympathy. They walked out of the room, dressed in the clothes Prudens gave them, the tension still with them before they heard a loud "Yippeee!"

The tension disappeared as they walked into the "living room" and saw Prudens leaning over the table in disappointment as Spinel ran all over the place, making a mess. 

"Mrrp?" 

Spinel froze before she turned to look at Micah. "Kitty!" she squealed before taking a step forward. The cat's eyes seemed to widen before running in the opposite direction. Spinel kept pace with him, chasing after him with ease. Micah jumped onto the counter, his chest moving rapidly before running off again as Spinel jumped onto the counter with ease. 

Prudens watched them jump, slight interest invading his disappointment. He felt Lapis's and Peridot's questioning gaze on him. "Take a note from my mistake," he huffed as he stood up, "never leave anything out that increases energy. Specifically a stamina potion or sugar."

As if to make things worse, Micah jumped out of a cabinet, pushing aside a stone ball that was labelled "SUGAR." Spinel, stopping for a second, picked up the ball, eyes narrowed in curiosity. 

"NO!" Prudens exclaimed as he ran forwards, ensuing in laughter from Lapis.

...

"Ugh, finally!" Amethyst exclaimed as she hopped off of Garnet and stretched before turning back into her human form. "Oh, please Amethyst, it was only three hours," Pearl said as she got off of her horse gracefully, "and you slept on Garnet's shoulders!" Amethyst only shrugged a small smile on her face that riled Pearl even more.

Steven hopped off his horse and fed it a sugar cube before looking at the town. "Wow, Evol is so beautiful, Garnet," he commented as Garnet got off her horse. 

"Thank you, Steven," Garnet said as she looked at the town, pride filling her. "Oh, this ain't nothing Steven," Amethyst said, sending a smirk at Garnet. "Wait until you see my town!"

"Now, now, it's not a competition," Pearl interjected, "we all know mine is the best."

Rose smiled at their antics as Steven giggled at them.  

"My Rose," an elderly voice said behind her. Rose turned around to see a man in white robes, leaning on a staff with a golden star on the tip. 

"Father Gage," Rose greeted, bowing her head. "You claimed to have suspicion that the Darkness is here."

"I have evidence that he is here," Father Gage said, walking towards the road. Before following him, Rose turned to her captains and said, "Garnet, Amethyst, walk around the town with Steven. Pearl, you're with me."

"Here! Here is the evidence that he was here last night!" Father Gage exclaimed, pointing a bony hand at the ground where a perfect circle of decayed dirt was. It was black against the brown dirt and looked like coal that was mashed together. 

Rose looked at Pearl, who nodded in confirmation.  "Set up more wards and put wards on each of your soldiers," Rose ordered as Father Gage nodded. As he ran towards to his church Pearl asked, "You don't think he'll be here today, so soon after he killed someone?"

"...I don't know, Pearl. From the stories, Prudens never let anything deter him. He was ordered to solve problems and he brought the solutions to them, no matter what."

...

"Ugh," Prudens grumbled, making a face, as he pulled his hood down farther down. "I live in a cave and only come out at night, so do forgive my distaste for the sun," he explained when Lapis looked at him. Spinel, meanwhile, was asleep, holding onto Prudens's neck, practically choking him. Micah walked with them, occasionally getting between Prudens's legs and trying to make him stumble. "Micah, I'll make it up to you, now stop trying to trip me," Prudens whispered as Micah only flicked his tail. 

"Why did you even leave it on the table?" Lapis asked, making Prudens lower his head. "I was reading," Prudens said in disappointment. He then pulled out a small bag that jingled quietly before handing it to Lapis. "Money. Buy things that y'all need," he said before reaching into his coat and producing two knives. 

Lapis stiffened at the black blades as he tossed it into the air and caught the blades, the hilts pointing towards her. "You won't have to use it. This town's nice and friendly. You'll only have to pull it out and people will hastily walk away," he reasoned, moving the blades towards them before Lapis hesitantly grabbed them and handed it, carefully, to Peridot. Prudens nodded at them before walking away, Spinel still hanging from his neck.

Micah let out another meow before chasing after Prudens. Peridot and Lapis looked at each other before walking in the opposite direction. 

They stopped at a tailor's shop first and picked out new clothes. Peridot was enthralled dark trousers and a light green shirt whereas Lapis picked out a dark blue skirt and a light blue shirt with a pair of brown sandals. 

"You know it won't be comfortable to walk around in sandals, correct?" Peridot asked, an eyebrow raised, as they paid. "I've grown used to it," Lapis simply said before walking out of the shop, a skeptical Peridot following her. "We should get fruit," Peridot suggested, Lapis humming in agreement. "No offense to Prudens, but his food for us tasted... stale." Lapis giggled as she agreed. 

They walked to where the food stalls were and examined the fruit, Lapis picking up the fruit while Peridot examined the fruit excruciatingly. It was a peaceful moment before they heard shouting. They turned around and saw soldiers running towards a specific spot. Lapis almost went to follow, but Peridot stopped her. "I don't exactly feel like getting captured for just walking in this town," she reasoned before walking in the opposite direction of where the soldiers were going. Peridot stopped, however, when a certain cat leapt at her, eyes wide and fur fluffed. 

"Gah! What the-!" Peridot began as Micah squirmed, trying to climb up to her face. Lapis went over and picked up Micah before noticing that something was in his mouth. Hesitantly, Lapis tugged the object and Micah let it out with a loud yowl. 

It was a piece of paper. Lapis gave Peridot the spit-covered paper, deciding to hold Micah instead, hoping that she'd calm his shivering. "'Follow the cat' exclamation point," Peridot read, staring at Lapis before changing her stare to Micah.

"Oh, dear," Lapis and Peridot said, both deflating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'VE HAD INSPIRATION! HAHAHA! Also, SPINEL IS BABY AND I'M ADOPTING HER! Leave a comment and feedback! They're greatly appreciated by me! Love y'all!


	13. Judge

"Oi, kiddo," Prudens said, nudging Spinel, hoping to wake her up. She grumbled, digging her face deeper into the back of Prudens's neck. "Hey, if you wake up now, I'll get you anything you want," he said, in hopes of bribing her. He felt Spinel lift her head and smiled as she loosened her hold on his neck. He squatted and felt the weight of Spinel disappear. He craned his neck before looking at Spinel who was rubbing her eyes and letting out a yawn. Emotions surged through his chest before he pushed them down. His smile, however, did increase when she grabbed his hand. 

Micah meowed at them and Prudens rolled his eyes before they walked to where the stalls that had fish on them, encased in blocks of ice. Spinel saw someone simply remove half the top of ice like it was lid. She turned to Prudens and saw he did the same, examining the fish. Curious, Spinel grabbed a large block and opened it, seeing a red snapper. Micah's head perked up and he placed a paw on Prudens's shin. Prudens looked up and saw what Micah was looking at. He internally groaned at the type of fish before placing the block down and walking to Spinel. She looked at him with wide eyes as he examined the fish. 

"You want to carry this one?" Prudens asked her, earning a nod from her. "Okay. Micah will be... very happy about this."

After paying for the fish (and other food that would be important to them), Prudens lead Spinel to a shop where shoes were displayed. "You're not wearing any shoes," he said when Spinel's face filled with confusion. 

"Oh... thank you," she quietly said before looking for a pair. Prudens only nodded before he sat down, scratching Micah's head as Spinel looked for shoes. Prudens lowered his hand before closing his eyes, taking a catnap to pass the time.

The door to the shop opened, the bells ringing. Prudens only shifted while Micah flicked an ear. Frantic tugging on his sleeve made Prudens open his eyes to see an ecstatic Spinel holding shoes that seemed similar to the boots a jester wore. He blinked away the blurriness caused from his nap before raising an eyebrow.

"You want to get these?" he asked, getting up and stretching slightly as to not distrub the brat on his shoulders. "Please! They're very comfy and look funny!" Spinel explained, her smile getting wider. Prudens let out a chuckle before picking up the shoe to examine it. He gave the shoe back to Spinel, whose smile grew as she bounced on her feet. Prudens looked down as he got out money before bumping into someone.

"Oh, my apologies," Prudens said as he looked up before squinting, his eyes raging in pain. Before him was an old man, wearing pure white robes and shoes. His bald head shined in the light. He also had a long beard. It was long enough to reach Prudens's waist. 

Prudens hated those that just copied Merlin's style, thinking it would make them "wiser." Hiding a face of distaste, Prudens listened to what the priest had to say. "No worries my good sir," he said in a bright voice before putting his hand out. Prudens waited exactly two seconds before shaking the priest's hand. 

Warnings flared inside of Prudens the moment his gloved hand touched the priest's bare hand. He then eyed the golden star on the priest's chest. 'Fuck,' he thought as he released his hand.

"I don't believe I've seen you around here," the priest said, something glinting in his eyes. "Just passing through," Prudens said, standing a little taller than he was before. "Ah. Well, I hope you enjoy your stay..." the priest said, inquiring for a name in the end. 

"Micah," Prudens bluntly lied, ending it right there. "Well then, Mr. Micah," the priest said with a smile,  "I am Father Gage, the priest of Evol, but I guess you already knew that." 

Prudens nodded, confirming his suspicions. "You should wear brighter clothes like your daughter," Father Gage added before walking out of the shop. "Have a blessed day!"

Prudens narrowed his eyes at Father Gage's back, the warnings his body threw around in him calming down, before he felt tugging on his sleeve. Prudens looked at Spinel, her face concerned. "Are... you okay?" she asked, her voice small as she hugged her shoes.

Prudens face softened at her concern while Micah shifted on his shoulders. "Yeah. Yeah I'm good," he lied before they continued to the counter and paid for the shoes. Before they had paid though, he saw Micah look at him with wide eyes and fluffed up fur. 

The man at the counter had narrowed his eyes at them, making Prudens's ire grow before he stared at the shelf to the right of the shop owner with glowing gray eyes. The entire shelf fell onto the counter, making a loud crack! sound as the shoes fell onto the ground. A small smirk appeared on his face as the owner let out a cry at the mess before leaving the shop, ushering Spinel out in front of him.

The warnings spiked up again and he looked around while Spinel put on her new shoes. He made eye contact with a blonde male whose hair was sleeked back. He also wore armor that held a star on the chest underneath a white cloak. 

He then saw the people walking towards him, all dressed in white robes. Prudens reached into his coat and pulled a piece of paper with one hand while the other removed Micah from his shoulders. He felt the piece of paper get taken from his hand before Micah ran in the opposite direction Prudens was facing.

He then faced Spinel and opened his mouth to say something to her fearful expression. 'Why is she scared? he thought. He was answered a second later when what felt like burning chains constricted his body together. He screamed in pain while a pair of arms grabbed Spinel. Prudens's eyes glowed gray before he jumped backwards, straight into his captor. The chains were released and Prudens didn't waste a second to punch Spinel's captor. "Glass-jawed morons," Prudens growled out when he saw that the two captors still lied on the ground. 

Water then splashed onto them. Spinel didn't feel anything. She just thought it was water. Prudens, however, fell to his knees convulsing in pain as smoke emitted from his body. All of Prudens's senses were overridden by pain. 

That didn't stop him from tackling the next person that tried to take Spinel away. Quickly getting up, Prudens stomped on the captor's shoulder, a loud crack! being drowned out by screams of pain. 

"Eht sniahc taht dnib uoy tneverp ruoy cigam morf ginkrow," someone behind Prudens said. He then felt his body get constricted again as he was pushed forwards. He snarled as he writhed on the ground to get a look at the person who binded him. It was the man he made eye contact. He roughly held Spinel by the arm off of the ground. Rage filled Prudens before the man's boot rammed right into Prudens's face.

...

"That... was quick," Garnet said, sounding surprised. "I was blessed to have bumped into him," Father Gage said, the staff in his hand as his soldiers put Prudens into a chair that had chains attached to it. On both the chains and chair were carvings that glowed a light blue. 

"It was also rather easy to capture him since he was outnumbered," a male said, his steps loud due to his armor. Everyone in the room turned to look at Father Gage's son and inquisitor, Jacob Audentes.

Rose only hummed. She was very skeptical. 'Something's not right,' she thought before she saw Prudens's leg twitch. Everyone went quiet when Prudens shook, the chains rattling loudly. The carvings glowed brighter before dimming down. 

Prudens locked eyes with Jacob. A shiver went down his back as he stared at the emotionless gray eyes. "What did you do with the girl?" he asked, his voice low and as emotionless as his eyes. This time, a shiver went down everyone's back. 

"The only thing we'll do to her is purge you from her mind and free her from any traces of sin," Father Gage said, not noticing how the chair arms creaked under his fingers. Rose stepped forward and stared directly into the gray eyes. 

"You have killed many of my soldiers. They were my friends. They were practically my family," she said, her voice cold and as strong as steel. "And you killed them, as if they were nothing more than bugs."

It was quiet for a few seconds before Prudens opened his mouth. "Many of your 'friends' that were 'practically family' were fools and 'practically' no better than those you are rebelling against," he spoke calmly. "Ask Evol's townsfolk. Ask them how they felt about your 'friend' Apatite Cozbi. Were it not for the fact that I killed her in the streets, the townsfolk would continue with the parade today. But I guess it's a good thing you have it moved forward for tomorrow."

No one said anything. Few talked back to the Diamond Authority, even fewer attempted to correct them. They never came back alive. This man, Prudens, not only corrected one member, but also talked back after everyone blinked and was listening. A loud smack was heard. Prudens's head was turned to the right as Jacob's hand was extended. "Silence, you filthy swine!" he shouted at the sorcerer. 

"Me? The swine?" Prudens said, a smile appearing on his face. It held no friendliness. The smile was the smile of a satisfied predator as it dug into its meal. "I do not frolly about in towns, armor on display, announcing that I'm better than everyone. I do not take food from the poor who have nothing else to offer during Silent Hour. In fact, I'm more of the cat. I'll give you comfort and bring you items if you deserve it. I'll take care of you and help you grow."

"Enough with your lies," Father Gage growled out, the angriest the Crystal Gems had ever seen him. "My Rose, what would you like me to do about him?"

Rose was looking at Prudens before saying, "For his crimes against me and the Diamond Authority, I declare him to be executed during the parade tomorrow."

Despite the fact that Prudens rolled his eyes, there was a glint in his eyes. It was the glint of a man who had gotten exactly what he wanted.

...

After Rose's judgement, everyone left save for three soldiers and two of Jacob's personal soldiers. Jacob and Father Gage walked down the corridors to the dungeon. It was dark, so dark that no one could be able to see there hand if it were right in front of their face. Father Gage tapped the floor with his staff and the star began to glow, illuminating the path for them. 

"How did the monster even manage to escape?" Father Gage asked, serious faced. "I don't know. One second it was with us, the next it was flying towards the blue region," Jacob answered, his face, while serious, not as serious as his father's. 

"This was supposed to be secret," Father Gage hissed. "Fortunately, Rose doesn't seem interested about the girl, only her thorn in the side." He then shook his head, as if in disappointment. "She could have been so much better, but now, with this gift from the Gods, we can bring everyone to peace and settle the war before it even happens!" He exclaimed, raising his staff in the air as if to show proof.

"I have no doubts that we will, Father," Jacob said before stopping before one of the doors. "But we must wait. We'll wait before striking at the right moment." He opened the door and before them was the monster they had been talking about. Chained, from head to tail, was a smaller than average wyvern. On both sides of its face were three black lines that came from its eyes. The edges of its wings were black while the wing itself was pink. Its nails were black and sharp. almost as long and wide as Father Gage's forearm. The rest of its body was a mixture of pink and black, some areas more pink while other areas were more black. The only thing that seemed normal about it were its teeth, sharp and yellow. Its pink eyes stared at them, hatred and rage pointed directly at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm sorry guys, but I am on a roll this week! Felt like I could have added a bit more to the chapter, but eh, it's good enough. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and please do leave feedback if you have any. Anywho, I should have the next chapter up soon. Hope y'all enjoyed the fluff in the beginning!


	14. Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished! IT'S FINALLY OUT! ENJOY, COMMENT! HAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I'LL PROBABLY EVER WRITE AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

"It doesn't make sense," Pearl huffed, Garnet listening to her with pursed lips. "He appeared two nights ago killing the soldier that we were becoming wary of," Garnet added, also thinking. 

"What if he just had to get food and forgot that he killed someone?" Amethyst offered, laying on a couch. Garnet's and Pearl's face darkened. "If he forgot that he killed someone..." Pearl began before Garnet finished, "then he has no remorse about his actions."

The room fell quiet at their conclusion. "Be vigilant. Don't believe everything what Father Gage and his inquisitor says," Garnet said, breaking the silence. "But that could break Rose's alliance with the people of Evol!" Pearl exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Don't worry about the people," Garnet said as she looked out the window to see people preparing for the parade in the evening. "And besides, something tells me that Father Gage broke their alliance a long time ago."

...

"When should we execute the darkness?" Jacob asked, cleaning his beautiful sword. Father Gage was quiet, stroking his beard before saying, "Before the parade begins. It'll make for an exciting show for the people."

"I'll pour holy water on my blade," Jacob said, bringing the sword to his face. "That ought to stop him from coming back." Father Gage smiled at that. They then left the room, Jacob shutting the door harshly. That drowned out the noise of the case in the corner opening, the lid falling on the ground. Inside the case was Father Gage's staff. A purple aura appeared around it before it floated beside the door the two just walked out from. 

Unbeknownst to the soldiers, Prudens smiled before the door opened to reveal Rose. He lifted his head a little to glance at her before lowering it once more. Rose then dismissed the guards to give them some privacy. Prudens let out a laugh before saying, "You obviously have something to say."

Rose didn't say anything as she walked towards him, her body tinted pink. "Smart, placing a shield around yourself. Don't see why you'd want to wear that while I'm in these," Prudens said, motioning at the chair and chains that contained him. "Whenever your name is in a town, a massacre always occur," Rose finally said, stopping before him. Prudens chuckled, knowing it irritated Rose. 

"That always does seem to happen," he said, looking Rose in the eyes. "But my actions were controlled in the past. I was... restrained by those I believed would bring peace and luxury. Now, I am not restrained and I will bring peace and luxury to others." 

"The people already live in fear. If you succeed, they will fear for both different and the same reasons," Rose countered, silencing Prudens. 

"Perhaps," Prudens said, quietly as the temperature seemed to decrease. "But I won't be the one ruling them, Pink." Rose let out a gasp as she stepped back. Prudens's eyes were glowing gray as he stared at her, amusement in them. 

"How?" she uttered, fear lacing her voice. Prudens simply smiled before he leaned forward as much as he could and said, "You and the Diamonds may have different personalities and characteristics, but there is one thing that connects y'all together. The aura of gods." Rose clenched her fists before exclaiming, "This is impossible. The only one to see other gods are-" 

"-gods," Prudens finished, his smile now smug as he leaned back into his chair. "But you were just a mortal when we chose you to do our bidding," Rose speculated, making Prudens scowl. "I am. Well, was before you sent me to the core of the world. There, I retrieved this... cursed gift. It still whispers, you know. You and your sisters tried to kill it but only managed to contain it. To be honest, I'm glad you didn't kill it though because then you'd just create another. But it no longer cares. It just really wanted to sleep and you gave it exactly what it desired."

"Then how did you become... this?" Rose asked, fists still clenched. "Side affect from being near it for a long amount of time. Its aura was very strong and made the men insane before they killed themselves sometimes in groups or one by one" Prudens explained nonchalantly.

"And did you go insane?" Rose asked, eyes narrowed. Prudens didn't respond immediately. He actually froze at the question. "No. But I was killed when the last of my men killed themselves, using their magic," he said, his face twitching.

"And what did you see?" Rose asked, fists unclenched and eyes filled with understanding. Prudens suddenly squeezed the arms of his chair, the wood cracking as his fingers dug into it. 

"What I saw is none of your concern," Prudens seethed. His eyes flickered once between gray and purple. 

Rose nodded before she turned around to walk out the door. "If you are actually leading this rebellion correctly than you were 2000 years ago, I'd suggest leaving town before tonight," Prudens said, sending a shiver up Rose's spine. 

...

Micah ended up leading them to a bed and breakfast. The building, while homely looking, felt off to Peridot and Lapis. Micah clawed at the door before it opened to reveal an elderly black woman, giant spectacles on her face. She looked at the cat with an annoyed look before she looked up at Lapis and Peridot. She put a palm to her face before motioning them to come in. 

"You'd have thought that idiot would have waited at least a week, but no. He wants to see his work!" the short elder said as she carried the cat inside. "I-" Peridot tried to introduce herself, but wasn't able to.

"-Then he decides to get captured!" the elder exclaimed before turning around to face the two. Peridot and Lapis shrunk under her scrutinizing glare before it softened. She sighed, a very, very tired sigh, before she straightened herself. 

"My apologies, girls, but when a very powerful friend decides to get captured, I can't help but feel threatened," she apologized, bowing her head. "I-it's alright. We just followed his cat," Peridot said, opening the piece of paper in her hand with Prudens's handwriting. 

"It's a good thing too," the elder said before having Micah fall from her arms. He landed on his paws and began to clean himself. The door opened and everyone turned to see a lanky black man tying an apron to himself. He looked up and his eyes widened before he saw the elder. He sighed before turning around, shoveling coal into a furnace. 

"Forgive me, but how does Prudens know you?" Peridot asked as the elderly lady lead them to the living room. The elder let out a snort before she sat down on the couch, Micah rolling on the ground. "He helped us after we brought him into our home," she said before pointing at a painting. "That was taken four centuries ago and he still believes he owes us." 

...

Father Gage looked outside, the sun beginning to set for the day. A firework went off in the sky, followed by loud hoots and cheers. "Father, I have news about the cat Prudens held when we captured him," Jacob said, entering the room. "It lead the witch and the princess to the... 'Pizza's' house. Prudens has allies and we must retrieve them now!" Father Gage merely nodded before, his hands behind his back, as he continued to stare outside. 

"Go then. Capture them. They'll be dealt the same way we will deal with the darkness," he said, his voice unwavering as he wrote down the names. He then folded it before placing it into an envelope. He then slid gold coins into it before sealing it. "Give this to the caretaker," he ordered as he placed his quill down.

...

"That's... that was something," Peridot said after the elder, Nanefua, told stories about Prudens. "A good being with many guilts," Nanefua said with a solemn nod. Lapis, who had been quiet the entire time, asked, "So... he broke into your ancestor's house just to sleep?" 

"Correct! He was driven out of the house after receiving a few swats from a broom. Despite the hostility he received, he still protected them when they were attacked by a group of thugs," Nanefua said with a smile. Peridot rubbed her head as she felt her head slightly pound. "The only thing he asked for us was to allow him to make a room underneath the house." Nanefua said before hopping off the couch and grabbed a candle. She then walked to a bookcase and kicked it twice. The bookcase groaned as it turned to reveal a hidden staircase into darkness.

The hairs on Peridot's neck rose as she slowly descended. A pit rose before another source of light was created. She turned and saw Nanefua had lit a torch with her candle. They continued down the hallway, Nanefua lighting the torches on the wall. They finally reached a door that Nanefua unlocked with a key. They walked in and saw bookshelves full of books and weapons. On an altar, was an open book. 

Attached to a wall was a scimitar, the curves serrated, and a short sword. Both of the blades were rusted and dull. A shiver went down their spines as they stared at the swords. 

"Prudens's blades?" Peridot questioned, gaining attention from the others. "I'm sure he'll want to see them once again," Nanefua said before she stood on a stool and brought them down. "I'd help you get these to him, but I'm much too old and tired for that now."

"You're right. I'm surprised you managed to keep it this quiet, especially with how loud your son shouts," a voice said behind them. They turned around only to get wrapped by blue nets. Peridot realized what these nets were and felt her power and energy drain. Nanefua had dropped the swords, thankfully away from them so they hadn't fallen on them.

Jacob strode to where the two swords were before picking them up and examining them. "Despite being old, they still look like they can be used," he said before picking them up. "Grab them." 

Peridot practically heard Lapis huff and slightly growl in annoyance as she was hoisted onto the soldier's shoulders. 

...

Prudens's finger tapped the arm of the chair repeatedly. The guards told him to stop. He didn't. He only stopped when one of them rammed the butt of their into Prudens's head. He stopped for a minute before continuing. 

"I thought I said shut up!" the same guard that hit him growled. The guard stomped towards him, fist raised. He threw his fist forwards, aiming for Prudens's head when the sorcerer dodged it, tilting his head back. He then thrust his head forward and bit the guards hand, drawing blood. The guard screamed before he punched him in the face. One of the guards drew their sword and swung at Prudens. 

Prudens looked at the guard and spat a stream of blood at his face, blinding him. The guard panicked and missed hitting the right arm of the chair. A loud crack was heard and everyone in the room froze. Prudens wasted no time as he grabbed the closest the guard with his hand and yanked him onto the wooden chair. With the sudden extra weight added, the wooden chair collapsed. 

"Shit! He's free!" one of Jacob's guards shouted, wielding a knife and sword. One of the guards ran to a stoup and cupped his hands to collect the water before throwing it towards Prudens's direction. Prudens, however, was no longer under the guard. Using the cuff that was still attached to his wrist and the arm of the chair, he spun it, making everyone take a step back. With a flick of his wrist, the piece of wood smashed into someone's face, making them cry out in pain. That was enough for two to attack at the same time. The cuff glowed brightly as Prudens ran at them, his face a snarl as he jumped and sent the piece of wood at them. It lodged itself in one of the guard's neck while the other guard was kicked in the face. The kick was enough to send the guard into the stoup, breaking it and covering himself in holy water. 

Prudens yanked his hand and the piece of bloodied wood came from to his hand before he swung to his left, hitting another guard in the forehead. They crumpled to the ground as Prudens felt a slash on his shoulder. He hissed and jumped away from the guard with his sword out. 

"I've knocked down two of you and have killed one of you already in a matter of seconds," Prudens growled, making the remaining two guards freeze. "Surrender and perhaps you'll live with a bump on your head." 

It was silent for a moment. The air, filled with tension as Prudens watched the guards think before one set a jet of flames at him. Prudens jumped out of the way, a snarl on his face. The guard that had cut Prudens ripped the bowl of the stoup off before throwing it at him. It hit him and Prudens screamed in pain as the holy water tried to purify him. Another jet of flames was thrown at him. He didn't move as the flames scorched his face, burning it. The guard kept up his torrents of flames, grinning as he did so before a gloved hand grabbed his throat. In both shock and horror, the guard stopped the flames to reveal Prudens.

The guard screamed in horror as he stared at Prudens, his face badly burnt a dark blackish color and his eyes glowing purple. The guard swung his sword, hoping to deal more damage to take down the badly burnt sorcerer, but Prudens's right arm caught the guards wrist before twisting it, making the guard drop the sword. They stared at each other, one in fear and horror while the other stared with pain and rage as their face slowly healed. Prudens ended their staring match by punching the guard twice in the face, enough to render him unconscious. 

Prudens let go of the limp guard before grabbing the sword on the ground and throwing it like a javelin. A scream was heard and Prudens relaxed slightly. "Ylbaresim, so close only to fail," Prudens drawled, his voice sounding distorted as he limped forward, pain flashing across his face with every step he took. He had pinned down the last guard to the wall by his hand. The guard tugged at the sword, but he gave up when his only result was even more pain. 

The guard gasped when Prudens was now up in his face. His face was now healing itself a bit faster, but it was still unnerving when the exposed injuries were black and appeared to protrude black veins under his skin. The flames that were still alight clung onto Prudens's thick cloak.

"Lrig eht si erehw?" Prudens growled, making the guard cower. "Ehs si erehw!? The girl!" Prudens growled, getting annoyed at the guard's confusion. "I-in th-the dun-dungeon! Tha-that's where we keep things like her!" the guard yelped, fearing his life.

Prudens's eyes narrowed as he stared down the guard before picking up a knife off the ground. He examined it with an indifferent face before throwing it at the pinned guard. He screamed in pain as the knife was embedded into his chest. Prudens walked up to him and twisted the knife, making him scream louder. "I know you sound proofed this room, so don't bother screaming for help. They won't hear you," Prudens hissed before breaking off the cuffs with a sword.

...

Father Gage watched the sun set as the townspeople began to exit their homes preparing for the celebration. He smiled before he felt a shiver went down his spine. He then saw Jacob walking towards him, tugging four people, bags over their heads. "Father," Jacob said, stopping before him. "These are the allies of the Darkness? Send them to the dungeons. I reckon she's hungry right now," Father Gage said before walking away. They paid no attention to the two figures that prayed below. 

...

Peridot and Lapis didn't say anything as they traveled through the corridors. Nanefua and Kofi didn't do the same. "You are nothing but honorless!" Kofi exclaimed, irritating Jacob. "Taking innocents out of their homes!" 

Jacob slammed his fist on top of Kofi's head. "Shut up," he snarled before unlocking a door and throwing them into the dimly lit room. He then locked the door before looking at one of his guards and said, "Release it's restraints." The guard simply nodded before running and turning a corner. 

Jacob walked out of the dungeons before he heard what sounded like sobbing. He walked towards the sound of sobbing, pulling out his beautiful sword. As he got closer, the sobs were clearer before he saw a door was open. His blood turned to ice before he burst the door down. Bodies were strewn everywhere. 

"In-inquisitor Jacob!" he heard someone behind him call. He turned around to see one of his guards pinned to the wall. "What happened here?" Jacob demanded as he pulled out the sword. 

"The prisoner," the guard heaved as he got on his knees, bowed before him. "He broke loose." Jacob sniffed before looking at the guard, who stared back at him, hope in his eyes. Jacob rolled his eyes before pulling out a bottle. The guard rose a hand to take it, but Jacob's eyes hardened before he threw it onto the ground. 

"For your failure," Jacob growled before walking out of the room. "kcart sih spetstoof," he then muttered. He placed his hand out towards the ground, but nothing happened. Jacob only scoffed in annoyance before walking back towards the dungeons, pulling out the old scimitar. 

...

"Don't move," Peridot uttered as she stared at the pink beast that stared at them, anger evident in her eyes. "Nobody move." 

They all froze when the beast crawled towards Peridot. Her heart skipped a beat when the beast pushed its snout against her face before sniffing. Peridot's face tickled as air came out of the nostrils. The eyes had widened before the tail began to wag, banging against the walls loudly. Confusion settled across them before the monster licked Peridot's face, saliva coating her face.

"Gross," Peridot muttered as the beast lied down, tongue lolling out of its mouth. The door slammed opened, making everyone turn. The beast growled before it let out a small whine.  

There in the doorway stood Prudens, face slowly healing melted skin. "What the hell are you all doing here?" he asked, his voice scratchy as he walked towards them, with a small limp. 

"The same could be said for you," Nanefua huffed as she walked towards them, hands on her hips. "I'm pretty sure everyone here knows why," Prudens said before patting her head. He then looked at the beast that avoided his face. "You can revert to yourself now," Prudens said calmly, walking towards it. "You're... safer than before." He placed a hand on its snout and rubbed it, earning a deep, loud purr.

"You're insane," Kofi said, astonished. "So I've been told," Prudens retorted before the beast moved its pink nose away and began to shrink in size, the sound of bones popping causing everyone to wince. The skin began to shed as well, flaking off in small bits before growing to pieces larger than Kofi. Once it finished changing, they saw Spinel, curled up and lying on her side, softly crying. Surprisingly enough, her clothes were only wrinkled and slightly damp. Prudens carefully picked her up and Spinel latched onto him instantly. 

"Now that that's been taken care of, we should leave now," Prudens said before they all froze when they heard a horrid screeching noise. "Someone take Spinel," Prudens ordered, standing to his full height. Peridot took her and was immediately latched onto. "Get behind me!" He threw a hand at one of the walls and it crumbled down instantly, revealing a hallway. "Now go! Run!" Prudens exclaimed before a glowing net was thrown at him. They all listened to him without another word. He turned towards the door to see Jacob standing there, a beautiful sword in his right hand, an ugly scarred sword in his left. 

"I was already going to kill you, but now?" Prudens's face had just healed and now his eyes glowed gray, no trace of purple in them. "Now I'm going to enjoy it." His palms erupted in gray flames. Jacob raised the swords in a fighting stance. Prudens internally scoffed at his opponent's awkward stance. 

"You say you'll kill me, but you're wounded. You may have healed, but you'll be slow and you weren't that fast at the market," Jacob said with a smirk. Prudens raised his fists and all the torches near them turned gray. Jacob paused as he stared around them. Prudens then threw a fist at Jacob and the flames flew at him. 

"Dleihs!" Jacob shouted before his body was covered by a blue hue. "Ha! You thi-" Jacob was thrown back as a fist collided with his stomach. He had dropped the sword in his left hand as he was thrown back, but he held on to the sword in his right hand. 

Prudens grabbed the scimitar and stared at it. He then swiped his hand across the blade and it erupted in gray flames. Jacob was on his feet and had taken a step back when the flames appeared on the sword. He then turned around and ran. Prudens waited five seconds before he began to run as well, sheathing the flaming sword.

...

People were milling about, chattering and excited. Some danced while others played their instruments. Their laughter was contagious as others began to perform little stunts and skits. Father Gage smiled, oblivious to the horrors that were occurring in the cathedral.

...

Jacob ran through the halls, one thought going through his mind: Get that staff! Jacob rammed his shoulder into the door and immediately eyes the case that held the staff. He sprinted to it and ripped the cover off of the case only to see nothing. 

A loud thud was heard as Jacob's heart plunged even deeper. 

"You looking for this?" Prudens asked, a smug heard in his voice. Jacob slowly turned around and saw Prudens holding the staff. Prudens was giving Jacob no acknowledgement as he examined the staff. "How did you-"

"I put time and dedication into my life. Something you clearly lack," Prudens said before flipping the staff. "If this helped you track me, which I assure is no easy feat, then I wonder what it'll do to you." The tip of the staff glowed purple ominously before flickering out. "Huh," Prudens said, as if impressed. "A dud."

"Llaberif!" Jacob exclaimed with an outstretched hand. Blue ball of fire escaped his hand and hit Prudens right in the chest. It then exploded, sending Jacob into a wall and Prudens through the door. They groaned in pain as they rolled on the ground. 

"Damn," Prudens muttered as he felt pieces of the door lodged in his back. He heard mismatched footsteps and opened his eyes to see Jacob staggering away, going as fast as he could. Prudens got up and staggered after him too. As he went after him, Prudens pulled out the pieces of wood from his back. He saw Jacob open a door and rush into it hastily, slamming the door. Prudens's eyes flashed gray and the door broke into splinters. He then saw the stairs and groaned before going up them. He heard a door slam shut and he narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

...

"Why are there so many stairs!" Nanefua exclaimed before Kofi picked her up and set her on his thin shoulders. "Thank you Kofi."

"There's a door!" Peridot exclaimed before she rammed the door with her shoulder, protecting Spinel as she busted through. She froze when she saw the rebels standing in front of her. She gulped as they stared at each other in shock, before the others came up too. 

"Oh, hello!" Nanefua said with a wave. 

The Crystal Gems drew out their weapons while Peridot thrusted her arm out. "Stop! Don't attack us!" she growled, taking a step back. Amethyst's face softened before she said, "Yo, Garnet, she's got a kid on her and those look like civilians behind her."

Garnet gritted her teeth before she said, "Let the kid and civilians go and maybe we'll talk." Peridot took another step back before Nanefua said, "Oi! Leave her alone! She's getting us out of here after the Father and the Inquisitor captured us!" 

Garnet didn't say anything for a few seconds before she asked, "Y'all were dragged from your home?"   
"Of course we were! I'd be celebrating as well if it weren't for those two!" 

Garnet went silent before relaxing and said, "Go. Leave and don't come back." 

"Garnet, are you sure-" 

"Pearl, my town has been under the control of people similar to the ones we are fighting. People that should have been protected are dead!" Garnet interrupted Pearl, anger in her tone. She then looked at the group and said, "The door on the left gets you outside."

"Thank you," both Peridot and Lapis said before the group moved out. 

...

"Are you so ignorant to not read the blueprints of your own cathedral?" Prudens said as he pulled out his scimitar. Jacob turned around, wielding his beautiful blade before pulling out another sword. It was no where near as pristine as his, but it wasn't as damaged as the scimitar. They stared at each other, the bell still behind Jacob.

Prudens narrowed his eyes when his sword was pulled out. "You are just another piece to be removed! A piece in our way!" Jacob shouted before running at Prudens. 

"You talk too much," Prudens growled before he kicked Jacob in the chest. While Prudens had succeeded in his attack, Jacob had as well, slashing Prudens's leg. He hissed in pain while Jacob let out a shout. 

"So... you do bleed black," Jacob said, as he got up, using the sword as support. Prudens just growled as he took a step forward. Jacob then lunged, surprising Prudens before he yelled in pain. Prudens punched Jacob off of him before looking down and seeing black blood poor out. 

"Dousing your swords in holy water to prevent my healing," Prudens growled out. "Now who told you that?" Jacob got back up, smirking. "You're type are very stereotypical, Nomed Gnik," he said, before casting a net at him. Prudens swiped his hand on his blade, setting it aflame, before slashing upwards, snarling as he did so. The net was immediately destroyed. 

"Gnik Nomed you dare call me?" Prudens hissed lowly, sending a shiver up Jacob's back. The gray flames on his sword seemed to grow as Prudens took a step forward. Jacob took a step back, hitting the railing. He glanced behind him and saw the church bell. He turned back to Prudens and saw that his eyes were now glowing purple. He didn't see the rope beside his foot float towards the clapper of the bell. 

"You bleed black and you control things that can only come from nightmares," Jacob hissed, raising his swords once more. "Your destiny's end will be angonizing!" Prudens's eyes glowed brighter while the flame on his sword diminished. "Llew yrev," Prudens said, before sheathing his sword. His eyes still glowed purple. "Esrow si sruoy neht, dab taht si ynitsed ym fi." Prudens dashed forwards, startling Jacob. 

"Semalf!" Jacob shouted before extending his arm out, throwing the sword in it. The flames protruded Jacob's vision, not allowing him to see Prudens. The flames cut out when Prudens punched Jacob, making him fall against the railing. Jacob looked up to see Prudens standing over him. His face was full of black veins, desperately trying to heal him from his burns. His clothes were still on fire, but they were gray now. In his chest was the old sword Jacob had taken. Prudens punched Jacob in the face before grabbing the rope and tying it around his neck. 

"You are filth!" Prudens exclaimed, punching Jacob before continuing to tie the rope. "Filth with an ego! Gnihton htiw you are nothing and will die!" With that final exclamation, Prudens shoved Jacob through the railing. Before Jacob fell, he grabbed onto Prudens's arms and pulled him, causing them to both go over the railing. 

As they fell, Prudens looked Jacob in the face and said, "Deliaf evah uoy!" Jacob had no idea what he said before the rope around his neck tightened and he bounced up a bit. This caused the clapper to bounce and hit the bell twice before stilling. The rope, however moved slightly every time Jacob's body twitched.

Below him, Prudens lied limp on altar, which was completely destroyed. It was quiet for a time. Then a creak was heard. Two of the confession booths had opened, revealing a boy and a girl. The girl was tan and her hair was long and slightly poofy. She wore glasses that were almost as big as Nanefua's. She wore a blue shirt that matched her dress. The boy was Steven Quartz Universe, son of Rose Quartz. They looked at the mess before gasping at Jacob. 

"They're... they're dead," the girl, Connie, whispered as they both took a step back. Steven took a step towards the man that lied on the broken altar. "Wait! Steven!" Connie hissed before she began to follow him as well. They both stared at the limp body, whose dull, unfocused, gray eyes were looking upwards. It wasn't easy to look at his body, especially since there was a sword in his chest. They both began to feel queasy before the man's hand twitched. 

"Impossible," they thought in unison. Nothing happened for a minute before the hand clenched into a fist. The dull eyes brightened slightly. The man then sat up immediately with a very loud gasp. Steven and Connie jumped back, shocked that this man was alive. 

The man hissed in pain before he brought a hand to the sword in his chest. He let out a snarl as he pulled it out. "Fucking holy water," he muttered before placing a hand over his wound. "Laeh." The hole left from the sword slowly began to heal itself. He then looked to his right and saw the children there, staring at him with fear in their faces. "Uh... hi?" Prudens rasped out before a loud slam was heard. 

"What is going-" Father Gage cut himself short when he saw Jacob hanging from the bell. His real staff was in his hands and it began to glow slightly. "Hide," Prudens ordered the children as he slowly got up. 

However, before they got far, Father Gage aimed his staff at them and a blue aura surrounded them, freezing them. "How dare you attack during a time of celebration," Father Gage growled as he walked towards them. He aimed his staff at Prudens and a stream of holy water shot at him. 

Prudens howled in pain as he collapsed to his knees. Father Gage then kicked Prudens's face, sending him sprawling onto his back. "And trying to coerce children of all people to join your cause," Father Gage spat. "Unfortunately, once one is introduced to temptations, they no longer have restraint. I will stop this corruption by tearing out its roots!" Father Gage aimed his staff at the children, but before he could cast a spell, a pink shield ricocheted off of his face. 

He threw his staff towards Prudens, who scrambled towards it immediately and grabbed it. The spell lifted and the children were able to move again, running off towards the doors. Prudens looked to the doors and saw Rose Quartz standing there, her face stone cold. 

He then faced Father Gage who was slowly sitting up. He looked towards Rose before pleading. "My Rose! You-"

"Attacked the right person," Rose coldly said as she opened the door, letting the children out. A loud crack was heard and they looked at Prudens, holding two halves of the staff. "Noo! He's absorbing its power!" Father Gage exclaimed. Indeed, Prudens was absorbing the power in the staff. His wounds healed faster as he opened his eyes, both glowing purple. 

"Ylgnilliw nerdlihc mrah reven dluow I tub, retsnom a eb yam I!" Prudens growled before stepping towards him. "My Rose! Please protect me! Lend me your power!" Rose merely shook her head before looking at Prudens. He had finally reached Father Gage and stared at him, rage emitting from his stoic before grabbing the old man by his beard and pulling upwards. He ignored Father Gage's cries as he began to pummel his face in. Prudens then threw him towards the wall. Despite his age, Father Gage got up rather quickly. It was no use to him since Prudens got there in a blink of an eye and pinned him to the wall, standing over him. Prudens's hands were around his throat, beginning to strangle Father Gage. 

"You-you are doing your-yourself no-no favors by killing me!" Father Gage hissed, clawing at Prudens's clothes. Prudens's snarled, lifting his lip. "I. Don't. Care!" Prudens snarled before kneeing Father Gage's chest, breaking a rib or two. "Amazing how people like you always believe you have the right to take control! Especially after a god talks with you! You think you are above the world, that you are one of the gods just because one spoke to you! 

"You are nothing! Nothing but the dirt I step on! The gods are forever! I am forever for there are always people like you and the gods send me to eradicate those like you!" With that final statement, Prudens jerked his hands, earning a loud crack as Father Gage went limp. 

Prudens stared at his work before sighing and turning around to see Rose standing there. "You didn't have to-" 

"There is so much blood on my hands from 2000 years ago that it is no longer red, but black," Prudens said stoically, clenching his gloved fists as he walked past her. He then opened the door, but didn't leave yet. "You cannot make pink without red and white, Rose. You are starting this war. You cannot afford to keep your hands clean." With that final statement, Prudens walked out the door. 

...

Nanefua's house was quiet. Spinel had fallen asleep almost immediately after she'd lied down on her couch. "Don't worry dearies," Nanefua said calmly. "He'll make it out."

Not a second after she said that, the door knocked. Peridot scrambled to the door and put a hand on the handle. With her other hand, she placed it behind the door and a green ball of flame floated in her palm. She then opened door to see a very tired Prudens. She extinguished the flame before letting him in. 

He merely nodded his thanks before trudging in. His clothes were ripped and burnt. He walked into the living room and said, "Oi. We're leaving now. I don't wish to risk the Pizzas' lives again." 

Lapis gently picked up Spinel before walking outside past Prudens, avoiding his gaze. Nanefua walked out, holding a basket. "You're taking this and you aren't arguing," she said sternly. Prudens merely chuckled before he nodded and took the basket. "It is my sincerest apologies that you were captured," Prudens said before walking out the door. He then summoned a portal and walked through it last. Before he walked through, he opened a small portal and dropped five emeralds through it. She's going to be mad, but I don't care, he thought.


	15. Recovery

"Steven! Are you alright?" Pearl asked the sobbing boy. Rose only placed a hand on Steven's shoulder before rubbing it.

"No," Rose said, a fire igniting in her eyes. "He won't be alright."

"Was... was it Prudens?" Amethyst asked tensely. Rose didn't say anything for a moment, cradling her boy to sleep. "It was, yes," she finally answered.

"I'll kill him! I'll string him up and whip him!" Amethyst exclaimed, anger getting the best of her. "Amethyst, calm down," Garnet said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Why did we let those two escape!? We could have used them as leverage against him!" Amethyst further added before slapping her mouth, eyes wide.

"You let the sorceress and princess escape?" Rose asked, bewildered. The three stared at Rose before Garnet said, "We couldn't do much against them. They were escorting prisoners out of the dungeons. The prisoners would have attacked us if we tried to stop them."

Rose looked like she was contemplating with herself before she finally said, "Great. He's beginning to gain followers."

"Where's Father Gage and Jacob," Pearl asked, looking tentatively. "They're dead," Rose said, letting a hand through Steven's curly hair. "Courtesy of Prudens protecting Steven and his friend from them."

"Prudens saved Steven?!" Pearl exclaimed, expressing everyone's thoughts. "Why?! That doesn't make any sense!"

"I don't know either," Rose said, a concerned look covering her face. "Prudens's mind, if the stories aren't wrong, is like an ever shifting labyrinth. He is always five steps ahead and knows exactly how to twist words and laws to his whim. He is one of the most dangerous enemies to make and a scary one at that too. When he was active 2000 years ago, most of his enemies gave themselves up just to avoid them."

"And those that didn't give themselves up?" Amethyst asked, fiddling her fingers. Rose stared at her, a grim expression on her face. "A prime example of that is behind those doors," she said, her voice slightly wavering at the end. Cheering surrounded them as the sky was filled with colorful lights, oblivious to the massacre in the church.

...

"How are you faring?" Prudens asked, to the annoyance to Peridot and Lapis. "We're fine," Peridot said before taking a bite of her food. They were eating fish. Prudens stared at them, his face unreadable as he scrutinized them before letting out a sigh.

"Forgive my repetitiveness," Prudens asked them, bowing his head. "I've forgotten the limits of people after solitude." Peridot and Lapis looked at each other before nodding their heads. A whimper from the living room had Prudens speed walking his way there.

Spinel was asleep on the couch, her hands twitching as she gave little kicks. She looked as if she were in a nightmare, sweat building up on her forehead. As she turned in her sleep, Prudens appeared and softly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yllufecaep peels dna dnim ruoy mlac," he said, his eyes glowing gray. His hand glowed gray as well and Spinel immediately stopped her small movements. She was calm as she slept, breathing deeply now instead of her previous quick and rapid breaths. Prudens lingered in case Spinel had a nightmare again.

From the table, Peridot watched him. She clenched her fists, getting Lapis's attention.  _'Bring him in. That's all we need to do now. Just take him and bring him to the Diamonds,'_ Peridot thought impatiently. As her thoughts piled in her head, she failed to see Lapis raise her hand and poke her cheek. Peridot flinched, a small blush appearing on her cheeks.

"You good?" Lapis asked, an eyebrow lazily raised. Peridot looked away to watch Prudens. He was still standing over Spinel. "We need to return soon," Peridot said, looking back to Lapis. "Your mother is most likely grieving and that won't do your domain any favors. Especially your soldiers and townsfolk."

They didn't see Prudens walking towards them. He stood before them before letting out a cough. They turned towards him as he stared at Peridot.

"You really want to please the Diamonds, huh?" he asked, tilting his head. Peridot hesitantly nodded, confused. Pleasing the Diamonds is the best option to live happy. She was just doing her duty, right?

Prudens let a breath out, amused, before he said, "You remind me of my beginning years. Always willing to do what others of importance asked. Very well then. We'll leave when you want to return."

"Now," she responded swiftly.

Prudens blinked, processing what she just said. "You want to leave... now?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"We've stayed here long enough. The Blue Region is most likely crippling itself due to Azula's powers affecting everyone around her," Peridot explained confidently. Prudens nodded his head.

"Right. The empathic radiator," he said, looking Lapis in the eyes. "Must be a pain to deal with." Lapis only nodded before she took a sip from her drink.

Prudens turned back to Peridot and said, "We'll leave at dawn." He raised his hand when Peridot looked like she was about to argue. "Sleep is important. We just went through something bad and need our rest. Besides, you don't want to look to much like a rebel, correct?" Prudens interjected, his lips slightly turned to form a small smirk.

Peridot deflated and agreed, her own fatigue catching up to her. "Fine. We'll leave at dawn," she muttered before a yawn escaped her mouth. Prudens looked like he was about say something, but a whimper from the other room was heard. Prudens walked out quickly to check on Spinel.

Peridot had never felt so tired in her life. She felt her energy fading. She then promptly fell asleep, face slamming into what was the rest of her food. 

...

Lapis was watching Prudens care for Spinel when she heard a loud  _smack!_ beside her. She and Prudens looked up at the source of the sound and saw Peridot asleep, face in her food. 

"Really?" Prudens said in disbelief as he rose his hand, gray surrounding Peridot's body. He then aimed his hands towards Peridot's room, making Peridot float into the room. When the deed was done, he turned towards Lapis and said, "You should get your rest. We're still leaving at dawn."

"The stories about you seem to be both wrong and correct about you," Lapis suddenly said, "calling you an omen of death, but always stating you to be cold and uncaring of those around you as long as the job was complete."

With his back facing Lapis, Prudens's face seemed to darken. He clenched his fists as he said, "Although the details change, the main idea remains. Go rest." He then picked up Spinel, carefully, before walking towards where he slept.

...

"Yadretsey fo stneve rieht ton tegrof tub, sdnim rieht mlac," Prudens muttered into his glowing gray hand before thrusting it into the air. Those travelling around the mountain would see a gray dome surround it before disappearing. Those travellers immediately turned away from the mountains or walked around it, fearing what could have caused that.

Prudens stared at Spinel, in thought. He then grabbed a notebook and began to scrawl into it with a quill. "A wyvern. Rare to see those nowadays," he said with a frown as he wrote. "A young one too. Maybe 300 years old. Strong. Very strong. Separated from mother, taken from mother, or abandoned by mother is still to be undetermined. Appears to know how to change forms between human and wyvern. Still a child in human years, about five or six. Requires nourishment and a person they claim safe and trustable."

He heard something shift and turned to see Spinel moving. When she stilled again, she let out a coo that made Prudens smile. Turning back to his notebook, he flipped a page back. 

"Lapis Lazuli. Princess of Azula Lazuli. Cares about others, but due to living a life of a princess, her experience comes from books. While her patience is very long when talking to other people, very impatient when it comes to doing tasks. Whether it comes from a life of a princess or just her personality, her impatience could be her downfall. When stressed, her mind gets out of order and uses her emotions to think for her. Not good, that should change. Lapis contains power that she has never accessed before. With a good push, she could use it to her own and do great things. Power related to elements. I can only trim it down to two elements: water and air." Prudens flipped the page once again to Peridot's page.

"Peridot Vida. Sorceress of Aurelia Diamond. Her personality is rather the opposite of Lapis. Peridot has experience from books and from the field. Has a short temper with people, but is very patient when completing tasks until she fails too many times. When stressed, her mind works quickly, sometimes too quickly for her to keep up with. Formidable opponent. Needs to know that orders are wrong sometimes. Power resonates to Earth, but uses other elements. With a certain push, despite that fact, Peridot is very comfortable using other elements. This could lead to her being a formidable opponent when she learns how to use her primary element she inherited."

Prudens was left in his thoughts before he began to pack for everyone. When he was done, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, cautiously, before seeing Spinel. He noted how watery her eyes were despite the fact that they were practically closed. She was holding Micah, who looked unamused at being a stuffed animal.

"Prudens?" she whimpered, her voice soft. 

"What's the matter?" Prudens asked, his body relaxing, making him look less threatening. "I- I need a drink... please," she said, hugging Micah closer. 

"Of course," Prudens said before having a cup float towards him. He spun his left hand a couple of times before pointing a finger into a cup and have water protrude into the cup. He noticed Spinel's wide eyes as he performed his magic. He then kneeled before her presenting the cup to her. Spinel let go of Micah, who shook his entire body before walking towards Prudens and jumping onto his shoulders. 

Spinel took a sip from her cup as Prudens stood up. When she finished, she handed the cup to Prudens, who sent it away with his magic. Spinel turned to walk away, but lingered, making Prudens raise an eyebrow. 

"Do you... want to say something?" he offered softly. Spinel turned around, tears spilling from her eyes, before she jumped at Prudens, hugging him. Prudens froze, tensing at the hug she gave him.  _"Thank you,"_ Spinel said shakily. "Thank you for coming back for me." Prudens softened before slowly returning a hug of his own. 

"I don't leave people behind.  _Especially children,"_ Prudens reassured, patting her back. "Let's get you back to bed, huh?" he asked, earning a nod from Spinel. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely forgot to post this chapter.


	16. Nightly Guests

An hour had passed after Prudens had put Spinel to sleep. After he made sure they had their things packed for their journey, Prudens stepped through a door, revealing an area where a good chunk of the wall was removed, the moon illuminating the room. There, in the room, a corruption slept, its breathing broken and wheezing. He whistled and the corruption immediately sat up, staring at him with a tilted head. Prudens scratched its neck before mounting it. Without any other orders from him, the corruption leapt off the edge and took flight as Prudens gently held onto its rough skin. They flew for forty minutes, the cold wind bitting at him, freezing his skin as he growled in irritation.

"Ereht Nwod," Prudens ordered as he pointed to a forest. The corruption obeyed, landing quietly before Prudens hopped off and shook himself, hoping to warm himself up. "Ereh yats," Prudens said after patting its muzzle. He then walked off into the forest. From a distance, it appeared as if the darkness swallowed him up.

...

_Peridot was in a clearing, sitting in the grass that danced and swayed in the gentle breeze. The sky above her was clear, small white clouds littering the sky. Peridot looked around to see if anyone was near her, but she was alone. The trees shook as she got up and looked around._

_"Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing in the clearing. The hairs on the back of her neck rose when the breeze died, her heart skipping a beat. She turned around, raising a fist that was covered in green flames. The trees shook even more, the branches creaking and cracking so much, so loudly until Peridot put the flame out. The shaking calmed down. The trees still shook, but they were no longer at risk at breaking themselves from shaking so much._

_Peridot then heard whispers- soft, loud, sweet, harsh- that overwhelmed her. She dropped to her knees, clutching her head as she screamed. It was too much. She couldn't think. The whispers seemed to enter her head and put thoughts that were not hers,_ **_memories_ ** _that didn't belong to her. She slammed her fist on the ground, a broken sob escaping her mouth._

_The whispers abruptly stopped, some not even finishing their sentences. With the whispers no longer in her mind, Peridot flopped to the ground, exhaustion overcoming her body. She barely heard the sound of soft footsteps that got louder with each step. The footsteps finally stopped and Peridot felt peace radiate within her._

_With the remnants of her energy, Peridot moved to lie on her side and gazed up at a woman who wore a shawl that was made out of leaves, all varying in colors, and vines that wrapped around her neck as if it were a scarf. A flower crown, full of lilies, layed on top of her head. Embedded at random in her messy, green hair were chrysanthemums. Her shawl was long enough that it covered the top of her chest, leaving her lower back and belly exposed. Around her waist was a skirt that seemed to be made of grass that went to her grand calves. Her feet were bare as she rocked on them patiently. Her skin was mint green and dark green freckles could be spotted everywhere on them. Finally, her eyes, her dark green eyes seemed to shine with kindness and wisdom._

_Peridot blushed as she starred at the goddess before her who offered an amused, but patient, smile._

_"Hello Peridot," the goddess spoke, her voice sounding young and strong with authority in it. Peridot's tongue seemed to take up her entire mouth as she tried to talk, failing as she let out a line of gibberish. The goddess giggled, setting Peridot's face further aflame._

_"Worry not, my green child," she said, patting Peridot on the head. "I am Erutan. I control all life in the forests, plains, and fields. I am the peace and calm within you."_

_Peridot wanted to speak more, but Erutan rose her hand. "We will have more time to talk when you are asleep. For now, enjoy the the new day that comes as you awaken."_

_Peridot could only nod before the remainder of her energy disappeared._

_..._

Prudens walked through the dark forest, a frown on his face as the snow from the trees fell on him. He stopped when his path was then split, two paths that went right and left. Rather than just picking a path, Prudens walked forwards, through the foliage to come upon a clearing. A pond was there, occasionally rippling from the bugs and fish. Boulders and large rocks were scattered throughout the clearing. As he walked to the clearing, the long, masses of grass that rubbed against his calves thinned out and became shorter. The center of the clearing shined as if the moon intentionally to glow here. Prudens walked towards it before stopping and sitting on a rock. He waited in silence before the moonlight glowed brightly. Prudens blinked and there, where the moonlight was, stood a woman with green skin. Prudens stared with an emotionless face at the shawl of leaves and skirt of grass.

"Taogepacs," Erutan greeted, enthusiastically as she began to dance in the clearing. "A surprise seeing you here."

Prudens continued to stare at her for a solid minute before he said, "Peridot Vida." Erutan paused, tense before she said, "Spinel Wyvern. An odd choice for the successor of the Staogepacs of immortals and gods."

Prudens didn't answer her, staying quiet. "That may be my role for those like us, but we are all going to be used at one point and be miserable," Prudens finally said, looking up at her. Erutan just smirked before she said, "I've not once been miserable as Erutan."

"Then hope that your suffering comes tomorrow than in your final moments," Prudens said as he stood up from the boulder. Erutan froze in her dancing at Prudens's words before she continued.

"State why you've come to my sanctuary or leave immediately," Erutan stated, her eyes glowing green. The long grass and boulders glowed green as well before they began to combine together to form two golems. While their body was entirely grass, their hands were made of boulders.

"I've come to tell you to do your job. To  _teach_ what you know to Peridot," Prudens said calmly, walking as closely as he dared to Erutan. The golems let out a low growl and Prudens glanced at them. "I'm not here to fight, Erutan. I'm just telling you to watch her as if she were your own child."

One of the golems ran towards Prudens. It slammed its fist where Prudens was, but he had jumped backwards, jerking his hand up. The ground moved up to form a spike that impaled the golem.

Prudens then threw his other hand towards it and gray flames erupted from it, the flames instantly devouring the golem as it screeched. The boulders made loud thuds as the hit the ground while the ashes of the grass floated through the air, littering the clearing. Prudens dusted a blade of grass off of his shoulder as he looked at Erutan, rage in her eyes.

The spike slowly sunk back into the ground as Prudens stared at Erutan in the eyes, life and death staring at each. Prudens bowed, still looking her in the eye before turning and taking his leave.

...

"Despite my love for the cold weather," Prudens said as he put on a scarf, "I hate it as well."

Snow fell around them, Spinel lifting her small, gloved hands to try and catch the snowflakes that drifted from the sky, jumping and running around them, but keeping up with them all the same.

Rather than riding horses, they were walking, much to Peridot's and Lapis's chagrin. Peridot just wanted to return to complete this task and move on to the next. Lapis hated the cold. It was understandable, considering the Blue Region was in the south.

Prudens's only argument against their complaints was, "Horses don't trust me." 

An hour into their journey, Prudens walked towards Peridot and placed a slice of cheese in her hand. "Eat it," he said, beginning to walk to Lapis. "It will help you ignore your hunger for awhile and won't slow you down."

Peridot nodded and nibbled on the cheese. She looked back at Prudens and noticed Spinel hanging on his back, Micah lying on her shoulders. She shook her head at how silly it looked before she saw a flash of green light. She looked to her left and saw Erutan standing there, looking dead on her feet. 

Peridot did a double take and shook her head. Erutan was no longer in the snow with them. She turned to look at Prudens who was looking past her, where Erutan was just standing. A frown was upon his face before he too rubbed his eyes.

...

Night had come quickly. Spinel was already asleep, cradling with Micah, who at first was disgruntled before following into sleep. 

A fire was made, the purple flames an obvious sign from Prudens. The sorcerer was currently watching guard when he dipped his hand into the river for a drink. They had just reached the base of the mountain when the sun began to dip behind the hills. A branch breaking made Prudens stand up instantly, quietly drawing his falchion. With his right hand he rubbed his eyes, saying, "Ecruos luos laever."

After removing his hand, Prudens vision saw a small ball of energy in the bushes. He stalked towards the bushes and jostled them with his foot. The ball of energy shot away in the opposite direction of Prudens, revealing itself as a rabbit. Prudens scoffed at his paranoia when he heard something disturb the river water. 

Prudens crouched, spun around, and thrusted with his sword. His target deflected his attack with his trident, jumping to the side. Prudens jumped backwards, tense and ready to attack once more when he realized who he was fighting. 

"Sudiuqil," Prudens greeted tersely, putting his sword away. 

"Taogepacs," Sudiuqil greeted, putting his trident away as well. "A surprise seeing you out of your cave." Prudens rolled his eyes at the prod. 

"Step aside so I may train my successor," Sudiuqil demanded, taking a step towards the camp. Prudens only took a step backwards, still staying in the other immortals direction. Sudiuqil narrowed his eyes. "You can train her, but do it when she is asleep," Prudens growled out, making Sudiuqil step backwards. 

"Her training requires me to be there!" Sudiuqil shouted, drawing his trident. "Every immortal knows that is a lie," Prudens said, standing his ground. "You may be Lapis's mentor, but she is not in your care."

"You dare stand against me Taogepacs?!" Sudiuqil exclaimed, sending a burst of water towards Prudens. 

"Sdnah ym morf sruop erif!" Prudens exclaimed and gray flames erupted from his palms, evaporating the water instantly. Prudens then sent a fireball towards Sudiuqil's feet, pushing him back to the river.

"You are keeping me from my successor!" Sudiuqil shouted, sending more water towards Prudens, who easily got rid of it. "It is against the rules of us immortals!"

Prudens ran forward and put his hands around Sudiuqil's neck and leaned forward. "You  _will_ train her. She will  _not_ be kept from you. Complain and cry to the gods themselves, but they will not listen for what I am doing is supported by our rules. If the successor of an immortal is in the hands of another immortal, said immortal can return the successor  _if_ they deem the successor's immortal faithful, honorable, and good. You and Erutan are none of these and the rest of the immortals will agree with my words.

So the next time you try to bring up the rules of the immortals try not to use it to get your way you disgrace!" 

Prudens then shoved Sudiuqil into the river, watching him get swept away by a wave Prudens caused. 

Prudens shook his head as he walked back to the camp only to run into Spinel, who had tears in her eyes. Prudens dropped down immediately and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"A- a fairy and two giants took Lapis and Peridot!" she exclaimed, tears still falling from her eyes. She was breathing quick and short, worrying Prudens. He grabbed her shoulders and Spinel stopped moving and breathing. Prudens immediately let go of her and Spinel breathed deeply.

"Take a deep breath and hold it," Prudens ordered, his voice stern yet comforting. "Now let it out." He made Spinel do this two more times, efficiently calming her down. ( _A/N: This probably is very not very efficient, so my apologies if this is greatly wrong.)_

Prudens saw something move on her cheek behind her messy hair. Prudens softly brushed away her hair with his hand and saw a cut on her face, likely caused by a dagger. His hand twitched in suppressed rage as he took a shaky breath. 

"Delaeh era detcilfni seirujni," Prudens said, pressing his hand against her cut. A yowl was heard and they both looked and saw Micah, glaring at them. Prudens sighed as he then let Spinel get on her back. He grabbed Micah and gave him to Spinel, making Micah let out a huff. 

They walked back into camp, Prudens saw that the logs for the fire had been kicked, the embers slightly glowing purple. 

Prudens brought his hand to his mouth and said, "Sevlesruoy laever, spets tnecer." He threw his hand forwards and blew, purple and gray particles rushing from his hand and creating a path. Spinel gasped at the spectacle and Prudens, despite the situation, couldn't stop the little grin appear on his face as he began to run along the path. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late? I have no idea what you mean? Hope y'all enjoyed.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Yay! A somewhat non OC book, still about Steven Universe and mainly Lapidot! Originally posted on Wattpad, so yeah. Send me some requests there under my username: SherlocksVirus. Do you honestly know how frustrating it is too see that there is so little medieval lapidot? Cause let me tell you, it is severely annoying. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this piece of work! Have a good day and remember... YOU ARE ALWAYS LOVED!


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